Moments like this make us grateful for the Twitter outrage machine. Two days ago, author and professor Nnedi Okorafor shared this wonderful news on Twitter.
My novel WHO FEARS DEATH has been optioned by @HBO & is now in early development as a TV series with George RR Martin as executive producer. pic.twitter.com/POF7Dj2hWP
— Nnedi Okorafor, PhD (@Nnedi) July 10, 2017
Media outlets tend to jump on news like this. It is, after all, a biggie to have George R.R. Martin produce your book. Then Vice decided to tweak things a little: leave out the name of the writer, not for want of 140 characters 0.
George R.R. Martin is adapting an African sci-fi novel for TV: https://t.co/Heddcx9UMP pic.twitter.com/ws0O955LxG
— VICE (@VICE) July 11, 2017
Nnedi was, as we say here, ‘chocked’:
Wow, these people have even removed my NAME from my novel's cover in the tweet. Woooooooow, mschew. ?. They don't even know details. https://t.co/HacaZKMRQi
— Nnedi Okorafor, PhD (@Nnedi) July 11, 2017
And Americans came to the rescue, putting it to Vice in clear terms why their actions are wrong. See below:
Don’t be stupid
Seriously, Vice? The author's name is Nnedi Okorafor. She's Nigerian-American. Why did you remove her name?
— Justine Larbalestier (@JustineLavaworm) July 11, 2017
Basic stupidity.
— IRON PRINCE (@ABOSIOGBA) July 11, 2017
No, this was intentional erasure. They *removed* her name from the book cover.
— Victoria (mostly away) (@weedsandroses) July 11, 2017
Unless I'm missing something they just cropped the book cover top/bottom to make it fit. No photoshopping? Agreed it's still stupid. pic.twitter.com/TQPgwzcFA8
— Justin Davis (@ErrorJustin) July 12, 2017
No one's saying it was intentional, just that the erasure causes harm regardless of intention. Thereby Vice is to blame for harm done.
— Molly Cichy (@knockoutstudio_) July 12, 2017
— Justin Davis (@ErrorJustin) July 12, 2017
Give credit
Here's the uncropped cover of @Nnedi's book: pic.twitter.com/ZfwgD8lQwV
— Sam Schinke (@sschinke) July 11, 2017
Twitter automatically crops the bottom off of that unless I click on the picture. :O
— KoboldsKeep Lite (@koboldskeep) July 11, 2017
Vice, however, had someone crop it to put it beside a picture of a TV producer
— Sam Schinke (@sschinke) July 11, 2017
I think journalism died the day the internet was born… @Nnedi's WHO FEARS DEATH is in development w/@HBO Read More https://t.co/ymUNTRydeX pic.twitter.com/fz6r0hwrBN
— George RR Martin (@GRRMspeaking) July 11, 2017
Nnedi Okoroafor is more
So, where's the author's name? You're just gonna erase an award-winning Nigerian-American woman from HER OWN WORK? To credit an EP.
— Destiny Edwards (@mochaloca85) July 11, 2017
"Executive Producer" is not the person doing the adaptation – nor is he the writer. Nnedi Okorafor is a Nebula and Hugo winning author. WTH?
— Adrienne R. (@DreamtimeDrinne) July 11, 2017
Wow @vice. The author is American, and had a name and Twitter handle (@Nnedi) as well as boatloads of awards.
— Olya Oliker (yes, you may call me Dr. Oliker) (@OlyaOliker) July 11, 2017
Racial context
Yeah. I mean, you really have to work at it to cut a black woman out of her own news that hard.
— Amy Jo Cousins (@_AJCousins) July 11, 2017
There is no triumph a black woman can have without someone shitting on her moment.
— singing & resisting (@willaful) July 12, 2017
https://twitter.com/honeyfoxspring/status/885014522859278337
You mention GRRM but not Nnedi Okorafor, the Nigerian-Amer author, & also CROP HER NAME OUT OF THE BOOK COVER? Also "African novel?" FAIL.
— mamagrainne ☮️❤️ (@mamagrainne) July 11, 2017
Here’s how it should be done
Here you go.. did it in literally THREE minutes on my IPHONE app. pic.twitter.com/qsBd81t0UR
— Pochita Loquita ? (@daisie_doll) July 11, 2017
https://twitter.com/holden/status/884821914950049792
This definitely clears up the confusion I had. I literally thought it was something authored by Martin.
— Jesse Brauning ?? (@jbrauning) July 11, 2017
I think thats the point. To confuse you and create interest with a brand name.
— Geoffrey Cramer (@gcramer30) July 12, 2017
Like @Nnedi's name isn't a perfectly good brand!
— Reinder Dijkhuis (@RoguesClwydRhan) July 12, 2017
And to summarise
— Auntie Kristy is on hiatus (@KristineWyllys) July 11, 2017
— Ev (@evyatron) July 11, 2017
Yea.
Reformed social media monitoring spirit
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