Chapter 795: Insisting on the authenticity of news

Beverly Hills, Davis Manor

After a grueling workout session followed by a refreshing shower, Martin, Lily, and Elizabeth retreated to the expansive balcony of the bedroom to enjoy a well-deserved drink.

Elizabeth, lounging comfortably, was engrossed in her phone, browsing through the latest news on "Life of Pi." Suddenly, a sense of recognition struck her, prompting her to ask, "I remember that 'Life of Pi' is a competitor of 'Argo.' How are they doing?"

Martin, taking a sip of his drink, replied without hesitation, "I would prefer to stay calm, but the other crews insist on making it a competition. I have no choice but to face them head-on."

Lily, joining Elizabeth's side, glanced at the phone screen and declared fiercely, "Let's beat them!"

Elizabeth, lost in thought, mused aloud, "When I was in school, I dreamt of becoming an actor. Back then, the Oscars seemed so prestigious. But over the years, I've realized there's always some drama during the Oscars."

Lily chimed in, "It's like the general elections, always grander and filled with scandal."

She turned to Martin, a curious look in her eyes. "I noticed that ever since Harvey Weinstein, people in the industry love to undermine their competitors."

Elizabeth nodded in agreement. "While they praise themselves, they also make it a point to bring down their opponents."

Martin leaned forward, his expression serious. "There's really no difference between this year and last year. It's all about being the least bad. Films like 'The Martian' last year and 'Argo' this year are excellent, but they never completely overshadow their competitors. It's incredibly challenging to improve a film that's already at a high level."

Lily, always the artist, agreed. "It's like my sculptures. Improving from a 1 to a 90 is easy, but every step above 90 requires immense talent, practice, and financial investment. It's incredibly difficult."

Elizabeth playfully rolled her eyes at Lily. "Are you showing off?"

Martin continued, "Trying to improve yourself is a huge effort with little reward. But it's easy to criticize your competitors, especially in the Oscars. It's low-cost and high-impact."

Elizabeth, catching on, said, "So, as long as our opponents look worse than us, we can win with our experience!"

Martin snapped his fingers, grinning. "Exactly. While we refute rumors about us, we make sure our opponents look even worse."

It's a strange satisfaction to counter their facts with our lies, Martin thought.

…

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is an ancient, conservative, and sluggish non-governmental organization. With an average member age of over 60, they operate slowly, emphasizing stability over change.

Much like the Oscars they represent, their ratings and influence diminish yearly. Despite their promises of reform and innovation, each ceremony reveals the same old routines.

The email scandal, which erupted online, became a trending topic nationwide, finally catching the Academy's slow attention.

Tom Sherak, the Academy President, addressed the media, promising a thorough investigation.

The Academy's Executive Committee reached out to Ralph and others who received the email, as well as the "Life of Pi" crew. Had this incident not gone public, the Academy might have ignored it. But now, with national attention and the involvement of dozens of members, they had to protect their reputation.

At the same time, countless eyes turned towards the "Life of Pi" crew.

The film found itself under intense public scrutiny. The media and the public, ever hungry for sensational news, seized the opportunity to stir the pot.

In North America's sophisticated media landscape, outlets split into two camps almost instinctively.

One faction rallied behind the "Life of Pi" crew.

"The anonymous forwarding of the email might not have been done by the 'Life of Pi' team," they argued.

The opposing faction vehemently disagreed.

"The Oscar ballots have just been sent out, and suddenly many judges received canvassing emails. This is neither accidental nor coincidental. In recent years, Oscar PR efforts have intensified, almost equating to winning the award. In the face of such immense honor and interest, is it surprising that emails like these were sent?"

Supporters insisted, "The 'Life of Pi' crew has declared their innocence!"

Opponents roared back, "For the fairness and justice of the Oscars, the Academy must severely punish 'Life of Pi'!"

On social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, public opinion overwhelmingly favored the opposition.

The online spectators didn't care about the anonymity of the email. All they knew was that without this email's disclosure, the "Life of Pi" crew stood to gain the most.

"'Life of Pi' must be expelled from this year's Oscars!"

"Disqualify Ang Lee and his team from the awards!"

"The judges should not vote for this film again, they've crossed the line!"

"If 'Life of Pi' wins this year's Oscars, I will boycott the Oscars forever and harbor a lifelong hatred!"

"Yes, boycott!"

"Boycott +1!"

During the golden age of the Oscars, the Academy's elders could have simply ignored such outcries. No matter how loud the media and audiences screamed, people still tuned in to the award ceremony. Controversial winners still saw their videotape, DVD sales, and TV broadcasts soar in popularity.

But today's Oscars are no longer the top-rated program in North America.

The Academy could not afford to ignore public opinion now, and neither could the "Life of Pi" crew.

Fox Building in Century City

In the producer's office, Ang Lee looked at the newspaper report with a worried expression.

Jill Nett put down his phone, his face serious. "Public opinion online is much more intense than in traditional media."

Ang Lee looked up, eyes filled with concern. "Can you find out who's behind this?"

"We can't pinpoint exactly who it is," Jill replied. "It's likely our competitors during awards season."

This was obvious, but Ang Lee pressed on, "Was the email sent by our people and then exposed, or did someone else do this?"

Jill Nett sighed, unsure. "Since the film was released in North America, I've had our publicity department and PR team send information to many judges' emails. We sent various invitations and hot reviews, much like most Hollywood crews, and they were generally sent anonymously."

Ang Lee's mind raced with possibilities. The stakes were higher than ever, and the pressure was immense. Would the truth come to light, or would the murky waters of Oscar politics swallow them whole?

He rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. "We've got a problem. I've asked everyone on the team, and they all insist they didn't send any direct canvassing emails. But you know how Oscar PR has gotten in recent years, it's all so cutthroat. I can't be sure the publicity and PR teams didn't go rogue."

Ang Lee's frustration bubbled over. "Plenty of crews have done this in the past without getting caught..."

Gil-Nate cut in, "The issue is they didn't get exposed. Whether or not the email was from our side, we're the ones who benefit the most, and we're also the ones taking the heat."

"I thought if our competitors were going to attack, they'd go after the movie itself," Ang Lee said, exasperated. "I didn't expect this underhanded tactic. All our precautions were useless."

Jill Nett suggested, "The 'Argo' crew is likely behind this. We need to keep the pressure on them and ramp up our crisis PR efforts!"

"I've already contacted the higher-ups at Fox," Ang Lee replied. "Their media outlets will support us, but we need to handle TMZ they're the ones constantly leaking new information."

Jill Nett nodded. "I'll reach out to TMZ. If we can quiet them down, the pressure will ease."

Ang Lee agreed, "Let's move quickly."

Both knew that prolonged negative public opinion could sway many judges against voting for "Life of Pi."

Jill Nett reached out to TMZ's business editor, Jodi, through a mutual friend and arranged to meet at a café near TMZ's offices.

Over coffee, after some small talk, Jill got straight to the point. "Editor-in-Chief Judy, 'Life of Pi' has faced intense media criticism recently, all stemming from TMZ's false reports..."

"False reports?" Judy interrupted, her tone firm. "TMZ prides itself on principled journalism. Since our founding, we've maintained strict standards for news authenticity. Every piece is reviewed and verified before publication."

Jill Nett knew she had to stand her ground. "Has TMZ conducted a thorough investigation into the 'Life of Pi' email incident? As the producer, I can assure you that neither the crew, production company, nor distributor sent those emails. Yet, you reported it widely."

She sneered, "Is this your idea of authentic news? We reserve the right to pursue legal action against you."

Jodi remained unflappable. "In all our reports on this email scandal, we never accused or suggested it was your team. We report facts, period."

She continued, "Every email we published, every interview we aired is firsthand, true information. If you disagree, feel free to sue."

Jill Nett recalled the TMZ reports. Indeed, they lacked any direct accusations. TMZ had merely published the email content and interviews with recipients, letting the public draw their conclusions.

Realizing this, she knew their conversation was going nowhere. Before leaving, she issued a final warning, "Expect to hear from our lawyers."

As she walked away, she couldn't shake the feeling that the real battle had just begun.