Credit: ITMThere was drama at GQ earlier today, after an article criticizing Warner Bros. executive David Zaslav was published, taken down for “editing,” and then ultimately removed from the site entirely.
The article in question, titled, “How Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav Became Public Enemy Number One in Hollywood,” was posted this morning, but was removed from the site not long after Warner Bros issued a complaint.
Why Did GQ Say The Article Was Removed?
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The studio said that the reporter did not properly fact-check the article, and in doing so published numerous inaccuracies that they wanted to see corrected, though no mention was made of what, specifically, was inaccurate.
After the article was removed, GQ released this statement:
“A piece published by GQ on Monday was not properly edited before going live… After a revision was published, the writer of the piece asked to have their byline removed, at which point GQ decided to unpublish the piece in question. GQ regrets the editorial error that led to a story being published before it was ready.”
The article, which was screenshotted by a number of readers before its deletion, went though David Zaslav’s numerous perceived failings since taking over as CEO of Warner Bros., from the deletion of Batgirl to the clumsy launch of the new Max app.
It was initially unclear which inaccuracies could be so damning that they would prompt the deletion of the whole article, but we now know that it likely did not actually have anything to do with said inaccuracies – and everything to do with a huge conflict of interest.
GQ’s Editor in Chief is Currently Producing a Movie for Warner Bros.
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Since this morning, sources have reported to Variety that GQ Editor in Chief Will Welch was involved both in the discussions with Warner Bros. complaining about the article, and the ultimate decision to delete it. This alone would be a relatively innocent fact – if it weren’t for the fact that Welch is currently in the midst of producing a movie for Warner Bros., the very company David Zaslav is in charge of.
The film, titled The Great Chinese Art Heist, is based on a 2018 GQ article by Alex W. Palmer. Crazy Rich Asians’ Jon. M Chu is is both director and producer. It tells the story of a crime wave that hit European museums, targeting Chinese antiquities, with a script written by Ken Cheng, Jessica Gao, and Jimmy O. Yang.
Welch’s involvement in the call and the final decision sheds some light on the suspect and confusing decision to delete the entire article, a decision that a publication would not normally make – especially if the only complaints given were truly as simple as facts that needed correcting.
Yikes.
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The move now seems transparently corporate, motivated either by strongarming from a business or a sort of “you scratch my back” deal that undercuts the value of journalism itself.
Ironically, the removal of the article likely hasn’t done much of anything to help David Zaslav’s reputation in the eyes of the public. Rather, the request to remove the critical article makes Zaslav and Warner Bros. seem petty, and on top of that, their easy acquiescence makes GQ look like cowards.
Not a good look on either of them.
Do you think that this whole situation constitutes a conflict of interest? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments below.