Nikki Finke Responds to Variety BlogDogger Accusation

Last week, we picked up on an item posted by Variety‘s new watchdog BlogDogger, which alleged some Deadline.com time-stamp funny business. Essentially, the cross-town trade wondered how, the morning after, an item with the same 3:00 am PT posting time as Variety‘s had retroactively appeared.

In an email late last night to Variety‘s Tim Gray, Neil Stiles and film editor Josh Dickey, with a cc: to this reporter, Finke argued that Deadline.com had slow-cooked the same film project news several days before Variety posted their January 5 article. Per Finke’s email:

In actuality, Deadline’s story originated two days before Variety ever published. Mike Fleming originated the story on January 3rd at 15:40 with the facts intact. He worked on the story constantly before he published.

You owe Deadline and especially Mike Fleming a correction and apology in the column you made the allegation. You know full well that Fleming is one of the finest journalists in showbiz. I will not tolerate your outlet anonymously defaming him.

Finke says she will forward the matter to Penske Media Corp. attorneys if a correction and apology are not added to the original BlogDogger item.

Previously on FishbowlLA:
Variety Web Hound Sniffs Out Some Funny Deadline.com Business

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