Viewing posts tagged media
After being a loyal reader more than 20 years I finally canceled my subscription of the renowned weekly newspaper Die Zeit today. It's not that it has so much changed from the times Gerd Bucerius and Marion Dönhoff were in charge, or lacking distinguished authors nowadays. Granted, it is quite expensive just for the three or four articles per issue that I actually read, and only one that is really interesting to me. Sure, some authors are really annoying, but that's the whole point of this publication: start public debates. Yes, my generation is writing there now, but I know how we, as a generation, think. There is not much to learn for me. A lot of topics are repeating themselves over the years. But that's still not the reason.
What do Mormons and the Furry Fandom have in common? Next to nothing. However, both face the same problem when it comes to answering ridicule: how to react appropriately and at the same time ask their own community to not engage in an embarrassing debate. Trey Parker and Matt Stone of Southpark fame wrote a satirical musical called Book or Mormon which will premier next month on New York Broadway. This is the official statement by the LDS Church. Quite brilliant, from a PR point of view: they do not take the bait, do not criticize the musical, don't say they're offended, don't try to justify themselves, they just state what's important to them. And, more directed at their own fellowship than at outsiders, they link to their general stance on media coverage, which remarkably well explains how to react on unfavorable reports and fiction without getting into a defensive position.
...und nichts kapiert. Man könnte den Beitrag des NDR-Magazins Zapp als Provinz-Posse abtun, aber nach meinen Erfahrungen ist das symptomatisch für weite Teile des Ostens. Der stellvertrender Bürgermeister, der journalistische Betätigung im öffentlichen Raum für genehmigungspflichtig hält. Sein Auftritt in einer Oberlehrerhaftigkeit, wie sie mir schon öfters bei der Obrigkeit (oder wer sich auch nur dafür hält) im Osten unangenehm aufgefallen ist. Als hätte es die Wende nie gegeben.
Explaining "Furry" to journalists often is like this:
Wow, that was great coverage! I expected a couple of snippets about us, but it felt like they filled half of the show with us. A recording is available from arte +7 for a week (unfortunately, only viewable on nights after 11 pm due to some few NSFW scenes.)
Very nice about last weekend: everything! The food! OMG, the food! It was so fantastic! Paris: great atmosphere, a very unique place. The festival: excellent! We had a lot of fun, and so had all the other exhibitors. Met quite some cool people there. And everything was perfectly organized. Also very nice: the large mall near Euro Disney. It puts any American (let alone German) mall to shame. The comic book store was extremely nice, though I didn't buy anything: I would not have been able to stop spending money once I started. And I don't have space for figurines anyway. Oh, and did I mention the food?
Yesterday was the final day of the Tracks festival. We had our presentation on stage (Timduru doing Stepmania, presentation of fursuits, a photoshooting with visitors), which was well received, especially the photoshooting. The place was even more crowded than Saturday. I heard the number of 3700 visitors in total, but I'm a bit sceptic about that. Maybe they also counted the visitors of the Saturday night concert.