Teen Drama Links for March 29, 2022

Mar 29, 2022

As promised, I live-tweeted the live “Drama Queens” podcast and the “Good Sam” episode that followed last Wednesday. Also as promised, I’ve rounded up related press below.

But what I really want to talk about here is the Instagram video Sophia Bush posted the same day about one of the interviews she did. After speaking with Insider, the website published an article titled, “Sophia Bush says she’s more than ready to move on from rehashing the ‘unpleasantries’ of her past TV experiences.”

People picked up the story, initially running the headline, “Sophia Bush Explains Why She’s Tired of Reliving Past ‘Unpleasantries’ from Her Former TV Shows.” It’s since been changed to “Good Sam’s Sophia Bush Is Tired of Reliving the Past: ‘I Would So Much Rather Be Celebrating.’”

Bush took issue with the line of questioning from the Insider interviewer, the subsequent article, and People regurgitating the story. In the 15-minute video below, which was originally a live recording, she argues that because she’s spoken previously about the harassment she and other “One Tree Hill” stars faced from the show’s creator, Mark Schwahn, she shouldn’t be asked about it again. She made the case that the topic doesn’t have relevancy anymore and that, since there are so many positives in her life right now, that’s what should be discussed.

sophiabush

A post shared by Sophia Bush (@sophiabush)

I encourage you all to read both articles and then watch the video for the full context for what I’m about to say, which you may or may not agree with. But at least get the full picture and then hear me out.

I mostly did not agree with Bush’s comments, even though I understand her perspective. I spent more than 10 years as a journalist (nearly all of it in entertainment journalism) and, frankly, what she’s saying is just not how journalism works. And Bush, who studied journalism in college, should know better.

To put it simply, you (the person being interviewed) don’t get to decide what you are or aren’t asked. And when you’re doing press to promote “OTH”-related projects, it’s unrealistic to think you won’t be asked about this topic and it’s wrong to think it doesn’t have relevancy anymore. I don’t think being asked about this has anything to do with being a woman or others wanting to see you suffer, as Bush suggested in her video. It’s literally a related topic.

Now, to be fair, the Insider article states Bush was “asked about those experiences during a new interview promoting her partnership with Lenovo’s Work for Humankind initiative.” That ostensibly has nothing to do with “One Tree Hill.” But I don’t think the timing of Bush promoting her Lenovo collaboration was coincidental. It came at the same time she was promoting Hilarie Burton and Bethany Joy Lenz being on “Good Sam” and their “Drama Queens” event. Even if Lenovo was the predetermined topic for the chat, a smart journalist is also going to ask about other things going on in your life. And “One Tree Hill,” for better or worse, is very much going on in Bush’s life right now.

And even if you’re over talking about a certain subject, that doesn’t mean the press is going to be or should be. As a journalist, I’d want to ask about the “One Tree Hill” situation too, especially if I was interviewing you around the time you were promoting “OTH”-related things. I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t ask about it. Discussing it with this outlet or that outlet in the past doesn’t mean another outlet can’t or shouldn’t ask about it in the future. Outlets want to have their own conversation with you about it, even if it’s been covered before.

Bush also griped in the video about being asked about turning 40 and how she thinks it will affect her career. I don’t see a problem with that question either. And the answer Bush gave in the video would’ve been a wonderful, positive answer to give in the interview. She’s right that no one wants to hear “I’m not going to answer that,” but there are ways to respectfully and maturely answer these questions in a way that still “celebrates” yourself.

In fact, I don’t have a problem with the response Bush gave in the interview when she was asked about “One Tree Hill” and the harassment she experienced. I think it was actually a great way to address a topic you don’t want to address anymore. My issue is Bush being upset that she was asked in the first place and then also being upset the outlet reported what she said.

I hate clickbait. I spent years advocating for ethical celebrity journalism and fighting the tabloids. Day in and day out, I called out publications for being unethical, inaccurate, exploitative, and unfair. But quoting what you say isn’t, in most cases, clickbait. In neither case (Insider or People) was this an example of outlets choosing to “salaciously gossip,” as Bush wrote in her video caption. One asked you a question, you answered, they reported it. Another reported on your answer. That’s it.

That’s not gossip and that’s not salacious. In fact, the Insider story is quite positive and reflects well on Bush. There’s nothing to “correct,” even though her Instagram caption implied there should be a correction.

If Bush wants to set a boundary after being asked a question, that’s her prerogative. And if the journalist didn’t respect that boundary, that would be something. But neither Insider nor People were wrong here. I wish Bush didn’t lead people to believe they were.

(Full disclosure... I briefly worked with this Insider reporter more than 15 years ago at a non-journalism job. No idea if she even remembers me.)

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