The Pencils Reach Peace

How much influence does the media hold over the general population’s opinion? In this case, did internet rumors help the Writers’ Guild reach a deal with Hollywood producers?

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As of Saturday February 9th, a tentative deal has been made between Hollywood Producers and members of the Writers Guild. According to the New York Times, the writers will be returning to work on Wednesday the 13th.

Reports of the strike being over have been floating around the internet for the past week. On Thursday February 7th, Just Jared claimed that Walt Disney chief executive Michael Eisner announced a deal between the Guild and major media companies. Whether or not this was fact at the time is currently unknown – but speculated false. Perez Hilton, a fellow blogger, also latched on to the story claiming that the Writers’ Strike was 99% over at the time.

On Wednesday February 6th, the New York Times announced that Vanity Fair canceled its Oscar Party. With the strike being over, perhaps it’s back on. This event costs a lot of money and adds much to the economy -

Although in the spotlight for the last three months, it appeared that strikers were suddenly trendy again. The Oscars were coming up, and after the economy already lost $20 billion dollars, it was clear that action needed to be taken. Bloggers and commenters were pleading with themselves, really, for a resolution to be made.

Did all this sudden speculation help negotiators with their task? Did pleading fans influence the need for a solution? Well, one way or another, the strike being over can only be a good thing for writers, fans, and economists.

Additional ARTicals:
United Hollywood
TV Guide’s Strike Watch
Photo Credit:
Scrubs writers and cast members
United Hollywood

Edited to add: According to United Hollywood, the Union vote as to end the strike will take place on Tuesday.