He’s been a guest critic on “Roger Ebert and The Movies,” he’s appeared in a few Hollywood films and, by all accounts, he’s the biggest (literally) and best-known entertainment reporter on the Internet. But to his compatriots in cyberspace, Harry Knowles’ name isn’t Harry Knowles. It’s mud.
A feud is brimming between the proprietor of Ain’t It Cool News (www.aint-it-cool-news.com) and the Web masters of a half-dozen or so other movie-news sites, who claim that Knowles has repeatedly stolen insider movie-news scoops, taking credit as if he (or one of his many moles) had gotten it first.
And if anything ticks off an Internet movie-rumor gurus (or journalists, in general), it’s when another Web site lifts information without crediting the source.
“It’s about respect and integrity,” says Patrick Sauriol, who runs the Coming Attractions site (www.corona.bc.ca). “I don’t consider myself a journalist, but since I’m in a field that’s similar to journalism, there has to be some rules. One of the first rules is respect for other Web sites, and earning the trust of your readership. If you’re going to bull**** them, I don’t think you have a leg to stand on.”
Sauriol took Ain’t It Cool to task last week, claiming that Knowles swiped his scoop about Jimmy Smits being cast in the next two “Star Wars” movies.(It should be noted, however, that yesterday Smits‘ representatives finally refuted said rumor).
Sauriol then wrote a protest letter, alleging that Ain’t It Cool has a long history of similar infractions; the missive was signed off by other movie Web site honchos who share his longstanding beef with Knowles.
It may sound like a schoolyard scuffle between competing cybergeeks, or even a case of jealousy (for the most part, the saber-rattling Web sites receive much less media hype — and, presumably, make less money — than Knowles), but it’s igniting a potential war over Internet ethics, and it may put Ain’t It Cool — which, according to legend, Knowles operates out a bedroom in his parents’ home — under a microscope. Word on the street is that the Los Angeles Times and Film Threat (www.filmthreat.com) are developing investigative stories on the matter.
Knowles hasn’t yet returned our phone calls asking for his side of the story, but he posted a long-winded response to Sauriol on his site earlier this week. Basically, he attributed the Smits scoop snafu to “Father Geek,” (a screen name for his dad, Jay Knowles). He also accused his accuser, saying Sauriol and Coming Attractions stole a “Star Wars”-related scoop from Ain’t It Cool several years ago.
“One of the ‘issues’ that [Sauriol] brings up is the matter of ‘CREDIT’ for stories. And ya know … this is an issue,” Knowles wrote.
This is far from the first time Knowles has been accused of a faux pas. In February, he posted what he believed was a list of Academy Award nominations — even before the Academy had announced them. But when it turned out his information was bogus, Knowles was wiping egg of his cyber-face.
And to those who might say Sauriol’s gripe stems from resentment over all the attention Knowles and his site receive, he says it ain’t so. And he’s hoping that his protest letter will somehow force Knowles to make sure he gives credit where it’s due.
“It’s not about sour grapes. It’s not about who’s on Roger Ebert‘s show,” he says. “I don’t have a problem with anyone else on the Web, except this guy.”
