– This is part of an unfortunate development where the media create less and less journalism on the content of what is created. The interviews I set up often end up being about private life or trivia that is meant to get cheap clicks, says Joakim Thorkildsen. He works for the PR and content agency Newslab. When a Norwegian film is to be launched, the distribution companies often contact such a PR agency, which tries to get the press and media to create stories about the film, so that the film gets attention. Thorkildsen, who has been responsible for the launches of many Norwegian films, thinks it has become demanding to get the Norwegian press to create stories about the film and the film’s content. Thorkildsen understands that there is a need to avoid that the launch interviews will not only be about private life and the like. Photo: Newslab He gets support from Andrea Berentsen Ottmar, producer behind blockbusters such as “World’s Worst Person”, “Sick Girl” and “Armand”. She writes the following to news: – Unfortunately, we find it challenging to produce good, critical and enlightened cultural journalism in Norway. Many people just want to drive the focus to personal things, things that have nothing to do with the actual movie. Andrea Berentsen Ottmar (far right) misses more questions about the film’s content to her collaborators. Here she is with screenwriter Eskil Vogt, director Joakim Trier and actress Renate Reinsve from when “The World’s Worst Person” won the Film Critics Award. Photo: Heiko Junge / NTB I understand Hollywood’s frustration – I understand that you want the interviews to be about what is actually going to be launched and not everything else, says Thorkilden. Thorkildsen refers here to the case news published at the weekend about how the international companies, during launch interviews, often direct journalists to only ask questions about the film or the film’s content. Thorkilden emphasizes that he does not support the means used to manage these interviews. news told about cases where the journalist’s questions are stopped during interviews, where questions and answers were cut from the video recording of the interview and about strict advance agreements that must be signed before such interviews, where the journalist must promise to mainly stick to questions about the film and the film’s content . – I also thought that it is underestimated that actors and directors can think that it is scary to do such interviews – and fear what will come of questions from the journalists. – So you think that journalists should not be allowed to ask what they want in such an interview? – I believe that a premise for this type of interview should be clarified in advance. And that they should mainly be about what is to be launched. Thorkildsen clarifies that he believes actors and filmmakers must also tolerate critical questions, as long as it is about the film they have worked on. Marius Tetlie is a subject editor at news Nyheter and is, among other things, responsible for the news department’s coverage of culture and entertainment. Photo: Ksenia Novikova / news VG and news respond to the criticism Subject editor at news Nyheter, Marius Tetlie, says that it is not surprising that those behind a production want as much media coverage as possible for the content they create, but he believes that it is right to make an editorial assessment from time to time. – Sometimes the content of a film is what we concentrate our journalism around and at other times it may be a special event or story linked to one of the actors or other issues that are highlighted, he says. Eva-Therese Loo Grøttum in VG understands that the industry wants more cases about the product they are promoting, but thinks VG gives readers this. Photo: Thomas Andreassen / VG Head of the news department in VG, Eva-Therese Loo Grøttum, does not agree with the criticism regarding their coverage of film and TV series. She refers, among other things, to their program “Blåkkbøster”, which is about precisely the content of films and TV series. – My impression is that our readers are both interested in the content, but also in the people who are known to them because they are actors or the like, says Loo Grøttum. Published 27.08.2024, at 07.48
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– Missing journalism about the content of films and TV series – news Culture and entertainment
