Five Questions for THR's Alex Ben Block

We here at FBLA love tips and we love talking shop. So we were delighted a couple of weeks ago when we got an email from The Hollywood Reporter's senior editor Alex Ben Block, letting us know about a little story he had written: an interview with James Cameron in which the director went off on Glenn Beck. Block's Cameron piece exploded across the Web and was one of THR's biggest stories in years. He was pumped about it. Last week on John Rabe's blog, Block wrote a piece about how the story had reinvigorated his love for journalism. That's rare enough these days that we figured we'd ask him more about it. Block talks Cameron, adapting to the Internet era and his paper's supposed flirtation with Nikki Finke after the jump: FBLA: Did you anticipate Cameron would go off like he did when you asked your question? Were you angling for a Glenn Beck rant, or did you have something else in mind? ABB: I had no idea when I sat down with James Cameron at the "Avatar" home video press event that he would react so strongly. All I knew was that after waiting hours I was limited to one question, so I had better make it something interesting. It quickly became clear after I raised the issue of how his critics on the right would react to the environmental theme of the promotion this was something deeply felt by Cameron, and that he had really thought about. I only mentioned Glenn Beck after we got into it as I knew Beck was someone who had been critical of movies that he perceived to have a political slant opposed to his own worldview. Of course as a journalist, I knew immediately that I had struck a gusher once Cameron reacted so strongly, so I did what I have done most of my life. I shared the news with as many people as possible -- but in this age, I knew to do it as quickly as possible. FBLA: You wrote in your John Rabe Blog post that a journalist who breaks a story gets "15 seconds of credit before it's a commodity on the web?" I'm assuming you see this as a bad thing? Any way to rail against that trend, or is futile at this point? ABB: Like all things, the new media landscape requires a significant adjustment and we the media are still figuring this out. It is disheartening to work on a story for weeks, days, even hours, and then see a version of it on other web sites soon after with no attribution. But it is a fact of life today in the media. So we learn little tricks like making our best sources swear they wonâ€™t give it to anyone else, or making it a commentary that has a unique informed point of view that is difficult for anyone to copy, or using quotes that they can only use if credited. A good journalist often has a bit of Don Quixote in his soul so of course it is not a matter of whether it is futile to rail, it is that we have to tilt at these windmills, if only for our own salvation. If we journalists canâ€™t shine a light on worthwhile causes, even if they look lost, then the advertising driven, government run official sources will be all that is out there, and that is even worse. Hopefully over time, our readers recognize who has it first and who gets it right, who provides context as well as news, and gives a journalist credit -- and becomes a loyal reader. FBLA: You write in that same piece that the Internet is the greatest tool for journalists ever devised. But the big scoop you got on Cameron came from an old-fashioned press conference. Not to mention the fact that the Net has ushered in a new age of speed in journalism, one that often fails to prioritize accuracy and engaging prose. Is the immediacy of the information journalists can access from the web worth the costs? ABB: There is clearly a trade off at work here. When I say it is the greatest tool, I related to a time when to get certain info and background I had to physically go to the library and hope to find what I needed; or make call after call to sources; or work hours to check the spelling and titles. Now I can just Google that person and get the spelling, title, background, whatâ€™s been written before, what's been said about them -- a gold mine of info. However, when I was working on "George Lucas's Blockbusting," I also learned the limitations of the web. A lot of the real in-depth stuff needed to explain how and why a movie was made, for instance, wasn't readily available online. I had to report, read books, go to archives and more. I also found much of what was on the web was wrong, misguided or out of date; and it was a challenge to sort out what was real. But is the access and immediacy worth it? First there is no choice and second, yes, it is a joy for a journalist to have a global info resource a few keystrokes away. As always in the end it isn't the access, it is the interpretation and intelligence you bring to each article that makes it fresh, accurate and in context. That hasn't changed. FBLA: Do you find the added burdens of online journalism onerous -- the constant self-promotion, the perpetual need to hunt down bloggers to give you credit for your scoops -- or has social media given journalism a new tool to stay relevant? ABB: To be a success today -- as an individual or an organization -- you do need to make sure when you have a scoop or a significant comment that it is credited and carried in a viral sense worldwide. That isn't the fun part of the job but if you want to have a profile and build your brand, it is what you have to do. As for social media, I am still trying to figure out how to use it, but still have to ask my daughter for advice because I am not there yet. To me social media is more personal and as a trade journalist, my job is to report on the business, so I remain faceless on Facebook, and just do what I can to build the brand. FBLA: Between attempting to hire Nikki Finke and losing your publisher, the fate of THR has obviously been the source of rumors and speculation in recent months. What do see in store for the paper in the coming months/years? ABB: This is my second time around at The Hollywood Reporter and I am proud to be a part of a family of highly professional and hard working journalists, editors, ad sales people and support staff. I read what Nikki wrote but I also heard from the new CEO of our parent company that no firm offer was made to her. I choose to believe him. I also see THR and other publications still adjusting to the new realities, trying to find a business model that uses the best of the old traditions but broadens our reach, and struggling to remain true to the best principles of journalism when others just write whatever rumors they hear. The new owners of THR have authorized the hiring of more journalists, promised greater resources and pledged to make the news organization relevant to the future, and I believe they are sincere. Whether that future is as a daily, weekly, monthly, online, on other platforms or some combo of all those, I continue to believe that success will be driven by the quality of the content, and that is what I do, and in fact all I can do. So I like what I have heard about the vision of the new owners and hope to be a part of the THR team for a long time to come. Alex Ben Block will be talking Hollywood at the LA Times Festival of Books on April 24; and on April 25, he'll be moderating a panel at the Show Biz Expo at the LA Convention Center on blockbuster movies with his daughter Hayley Taylor and several editors and writers of "George Lucas's Blockbusting."

Fishbowl

Five Questions for THR's Alex Ben Block

Matthew Fleischer

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

Matthew Fleischer