In anticipation of the celebrations for the 25th anniversary of Harry Potter and the Philosopher at the weekend, Sky News was asked to interview Tom Felton about the release of a new attraction Mandragos and Magic Creatures, but when asked about Rowling, PR move on to the next question. In an email trying to explain why Rowling’s name could not be mentioned, the PR (introduced to run the event) said Rowling was “not relevant” or “affiliated with Warner”. (For the sake of transparency, Rowling was the executive producer of the films). Read more: The public relations effort to separate JK Rowling from Harry Potter A representative of the world-famous American film company Warner Bros. Studio Tour has now given a statement to Sky News to challenge the controversial question censorship incident with Felton and admits it was “completely wrong” and that they are “proud” to have worked with “one of the world’s most acclaimed storytellers” for the past 20 years. years in both the Harry Potter and the Fantastic Beasts franchises, and that “Warner Bros. Studio Tour London regrets what happened as part of a media event that day.” This is an important development in the history of the way Rowling was treated, some say being canceled, in an obvious reaction, by many media and corporate worlds, including the author who was stripped of an award by human rights group Robert F. Kennedy. It is widely believed that Rowling was forced to back away from Harry Potter presentations and anniversaries because of her stance on women’s rights. Her June 2020 tweet about “menopausal women” led to strong allegations of transphobia, which she denies, and a passionate essay on same-sex and gender-specific sites, specifically proposing a reform of the rights law. of trans by the 56-year-old author. followed a few months later. Image: The brain behind Harry Potter, Rowling has apparently been forced to take a back seat in recent years. Photo: AP In the extensive essay, she revealed for the first time her own experience of serious sexual assault and domestic violence that Rowling said she felt compelled to write after reading about the Scottish Government’s latest progress in changing gender recognition laws. Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson responded (separately) to denounce Rowling’s comments as harmful to the trans community, and over the past two years the debate has intensified and become increasingly polarized. Press Censorship When Sky News asked Tom Felton – not about trans rights (which would not be relevant or appropriate to comment on) – but about Rowling’s absence from the Harry Potter events, when he and the other cast members remain of the franchise, The 34-year-old actor Draco Malfoy did not have the opportunity to answer as the PR stopped closing the issue. After that, the PR hired to direct the Harry Potter event suggested that Rowling was not “relevant” to it. Press censorship and the power of public relations to dictate storytelling is an issue of growing concern to journalists. Deadline reported last month that they could not publish their interview with Cannes Film Festival director Thierry Fremo because the news team not only sought approval for copying but removed “content that contained potentially unpleasant responses from Frémaux” diversity and controversial filmmakers “. Image: JK Rowling was absent from the recent reunion of the Harry Potter cast Read more: JK Rowling criticized for ‘condescending’ and ‘transphobic’ tweets Authors quit JK Rowling’s literary agency for comments about trans people Sky News has also noticed some increased intervention in the last year by PRs who want to control the narrative. Freedom of the press is at the heart of the exposure of people like Harvey Weinstein and R. Kelly. Interviewees may avoid commenting on what they choose and it is common practice to learn how to handle certain questions instead of silencing journalists. Full statement from Warner Bros. The full statement sent via email to Sky News by Warner states: “Warner Bros. enjoys a creative, productive and satisfying collaboration with JK Rowling over the past 20 years. “She is one of the most successful storytellers in the world and we are proud to be the studio to bring her vision, characters and stories to life now – and for decades to come. “On Monday, a statement was issued by a third media agency that seemed to oppose this view. “The statement was completely wrong and Warner Bros. Studio Tour London regrets what happened at a media event that day.”
