LINK: Defending Ronée

My official statement on the whole Ronée + Soma/Brownstein affair went up on PCS earlier this week, and reaction so far has been mostly what I’d hoped: muted and, I daresay, somewhat chastened.

Official Statement on “What A Girl Wants” Controversy

Based on my own internal investigation of the information Ms. Bourgeois had available before and after her initial column was published, I have concluded that she has only been guilty of being extremely passionate in her coverage of this story. While that passion may have led to her prematurely reporting the allegations, unable as she was to offer any details, I find it rather disingenuous that some have chosen to make her the poster child for everything that is wrong with comics journalism.

Our two most vocal critics, Heidi MacDonald and Graeme MacMillan, both linked to it without much comment, though the former conveniently condenses it to perhaps its least important point, while the latter curiously links to Heidi’s earlier misleading screed that attempted to discredit Buzzscope while not referencing his own similarly harsh commentary on the situation. I suspect The Comics Journal‘s recent update might have come as a bit of a surprise to both of them, realizing the case wasn’t anywhere near as closed as they apparently thought. Imagine that?

Meanwhile, Michael Netzer is on a one-man crusade to defend Taki for his [not unreasonable] perception of the unbalanced coverage the story has received ever since Brownstein was outed by the Journal as her alleged attacker. He’s particularly tough on Chris Staros and Heidi MacDonald. Apparently the guy has a reputation for being something of a crackpot, but his postings on this particular subject have been mostly reasonable, especially compared to the hysterical and/or hypocritical posts of some other uninformed and/or clearly biased spectators. Of course, in comics, being considered a crackpot is pretty good company to be in, joining the certifiable likes of Alan Moore, Grant Morrison and Frank Miller, so more power to the guy.

For the record, this will also be the last time I comment on the story until the case is resolved and the people directly involved can speak freely and on the record.

Written by Guy LeCharles Gonzalez

Guy LeCharles Gonzalez is the Chief Content Officer for LibraryPass, and former publisher & marketing director for Writer’s Digest. Previously, he was also project lead for the Panorama Project; director, content strategy & audience development for Library Journal & School Library Journal; and founding director of programming & business development for the original Digital Book World.