Netflix Accused of Bribing Their Way to Awards Nominations by Sending "Journalists" On Super-Luxe Trips

Deplatform the media.

Netflix received 61 film and television nominations, nearly double the amount of its nearest competitor....

But it came with an asterisk: The Post has learned that Netflix had flown journalists from the voting body, which includes some 400 critics from outlets around the country, to Los Angeles and New York on pricey trips. The streamer’s critics say that marks a potential breach of both awards etiquette and journalism ethics.

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[T]he specter of a company sending journalists on free trips to achieve that aim opens a new front in these prize wars, demonstrating Netflix's win-at-all-costs mentality combined with an ability to foot those costs.

The Post has learned of at least four such trips this year. All of them included stays at high-end hotels and private encounters with filmmakers and stars, according to three people who attended or are familiar with the events but were not authorized to speak about them publicly.

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The journalists were put up at hotels that included the W, the Four Seasons and the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles and the JW Marriott Essex House in New York.

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“The Irishman” trip involved a private news conference with principals from the film, including Scorsese and Al Pacino; tickets to the premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre, which was turned into a New York street for the occasion replete with vintage cars and elaborate sets; packs of Uber vouchers; and a stay at the Four Seasons. Accommodations at the hotel range from $500 for the most basic room to more than $2,000 for a one-bedroom suite.

Hollywood has always lavished "swag bags" on people they were trying to lobby, but people are complaining about the tech giants' new practice of nearly definitional bribery and Payola. The tech giants, on the other hand, accuse critics of "corporate jealousy."

"Journalism" is more and more openly simply cash-for-commentary.

“You’re seeing it across so many spheres where trust in journalism is going down,” said Kathleen Culver, the director of the Center for Journalism Ethics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “I mean, 60 percent of Americans think journalists are paid by their sources,” she said, citing a recent CJR study.

They are, in fact. Fusion GPS, for one, admits it pays " " " journalists " " " for " " " " research " " " ".

If you can't see the WaPo article, check the outline version.

posted by Ace of Spades at 05:25 PM

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