Columnist Fired For Reviewing Pirated Movie 466
Hugh Pickens writes "Roger Friedman, an entertainment columnist for FoxNews.com, discovered over the weekend just what Rupert Murdoch means by 'zero tolerance' when it comes to movie piracy. On Friday, the film studio 20th Century Fox — owned by the News Corporation, the media conglomerate ruled by Mr. Murdoch — became angry after reading Friedman's latest column, a review of 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine,' a big-budget movie that was leaked in unfinished form on the Web last week. Friedman posted a mini-review, adding, 'It took really less than seconds to start playing it all right onto my computer.' The film studio, which enlisted the FBI to hunt the pirate, put out a statement calling Friedman's column 'reprehensible' while News Corporation weighed in with its own statement, saying it had asked Fox News to remove the column from its Web site. 'When we advised Fox News of the facts,' the statement said, 'they promptly terminated Mr. Friedman.'"
FTFA (Score:5, Funny)
Now that's harsh
Re:He should have seen that coming. (Score:5, Funny)
He foolishly thought in-depth investigative reporting would be welcome at Fox.
Re:FTFA (Score:5, Funny)
Sloppy journalism (Score:5, Funny)
Now did they terminate HIM or only his EMPLOYMENT?
If the former, I begin to get an inkling of America's problem with the copyright mafia.
Re:He should have seen that coming. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Lol (Score:4, Funny)
'Wow, what a moron.'
Yeah, that goes without saying. We're talking about an entertainment columnist from Fox News. Seriously.
Re:Not fired? (Score:5, Funny)
I'd like to know when Slashdot is going to fix their scripts so that when folks post quotes, it doesn't post like someone with one of those cheap fake Italian accents. Or make it better...
Friedman tells Variety that hesa hasnÃ(TM)t been terminated anda from ah the sounds of things, itÃ(TM)s business as ah usual for hima over at Foxa
Re:Lol (Score:5, Funny)
We're talking about an entertainment columnist from Fox News.
Hey, not every person with a B.A. degree can go on to become a barista.
Re:FTFA (Score:5, Funny)
I can only assume that by "terminated" they mean they sent an android back in time to kill his mother before he was ever conceived.
Love it (Score:3, Funny)
Re:He should have seen that coming. (Score:5, Funny)
The fact is that there are people who download and watch movies. Do we want our movies reviewed by such people? Do you want your children to read review by such people, or have your children go to school with these people? To be taught by these people. Ladies and gentlemen, the truth is these people are real, and they are among us.
Re:He should have seen that coming. (Score:5, Funny)
It's clearly a form of radical journalism, providing an avant-garde commentary on movie piracy.
Genius, really.
Re:He should have seen that coming. (Score:5, Funny)
Take a look at whats typically on Fox News and I think you'll agree that a movie review would be the most in-depth investigative reporting that the network has ever done.
Re:Lol (Score:5, Funny)
Given the state of the news media right now, that guy'll never work in the field again.
Maybe The Pirate Bay can start a reviews section and he could get a job there!
It has a plot? (Score:3, Funny)
Why ruin it with a plot?
Re:The News (Score:5, Funny)
wtflox, please don't tell me Firefox is owned by Rupert Murdoch too?
Re:The Review -- SPOILER ALERT! (Score:1, Funny)
I see what you did there.
Re:Not fired? (Score:4, Funny)
Friedman tells Variety that he hasnÃ(TM)t been terminated and from the sounds of things, itÃ(TM)s business as usual for him over at Fox
I'd like to know when Slashdot is going to fix their scripts so that when folks post quotes, it doesn't post like someone with one of those cheap fake Italian accents.
I'd like to know when posters are going to start previewing their posts and removing all the crap that Slashdot puts into pasted quotes. Oh, that's right, this is Slashdot. Never mind.
Re:He should have seen that coming. (Score:1, Funny)
I dunno - I was pretty impressed when they uncovered that Michael Moore and Rush Limbaugh were actually both characters being played by Fred Savage...
Re:ha ha (Score:2, Funny)
He must be using firefox...
Re:More citizens should understand democracy. (Score:2, Funny)
The biggest question, in my opinion, is what to do about people like Rupert Murdoch, who owns Fox News. He has found that he can exploit ignorance and weakness to make money. He is extraordinarily destructive to his country and to humankind in general.
Which is why we in Australia are glad that since 1985 he is no longer an Australian citizen and thus less destructive to our country!
There is a hilarious sketch in the British show "A Bit of Fry and Laurie" (staring Stephen Fry and Hugh "Dr House" Laurie) which is a take-off of "It's a Wonderful Life". There the angel visits a suicidal Rupert Murdoch and shows him how things would have been different without him - like a pub filled with happy people of different races playing chess. Murdoch says, this is great, I can make heaps of money off these people! And the angel pushes him off the bridge.
Re:Lol (Score:3, Funny)
Please don't make me explain my joke.
Re:Why is a movie more secret than a CIA agent? (Score:2, Funny)
Because the washington post isn't making money off the CIA.