In 2018, New York Magazine’s Jessica Pressler wrote an incredibly captivating story about a con artist named Anna Sorokin — better known by her alias, Anna Delvey. The 20-something Sorokin was trying to start her own art society club and, along the way, nearly secured a $25 million loan and lived the wealthiest of lifestyles by convincing people she was a German heiress worth millions. She was not worth millions. Or even German.
Along the way, she was charged with stealing a private jet, running out on luxury hotel bills for hundreds of thousands of dollars and even fooling rich (and not so rich) friends into paying for her lifestyle.
No surprise that the fascinating story was turned into a TV series. The nine-part series “Inventing Anna,” created by Shonda Rhimes (who also was behind “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Scandal”), is airing now on Netflix. Starring Julia Garner (“Ozark”) as Delvey and Anna Chlumsky (“Veep”) as the reporter based on Pressler, the show is a blast. It has been out for a week now, but if you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend it.
To be clear, the series is not exactly the way things went down. It’s not a documentary; it’s a fictional account. There’s a disclaimer to start every episode, usually displayed in some inventive way, that says, “This whole story is completely true. Except for all the parts that are totally made up.”
The “journalism” part of the series clearly takes some liberties that will have many journalists cringing and yelling at the screen, “That would NEVER happen.” However, the reporter character is the protagonist and comes off as very likable. (Pressler, by the way, is credited as a producer on the show.)
Jackson McHenry of Vulture (part of New York Magazine) recently talked with Pressler about how the series stacks up with real life.
Pressler told McHenry, “There’s an emotional truth to it all, even though the details are different.”
Meanwhile, Emily Palmer covered the month-long Sorokin trial in 2019 for The New York Times and has two pieces out in wake of the series.
First, Palmer has a new Q&A with Sorokin, as well as this story: “Seen ‘Inventing Anna’? Here’s What It Gets Right (and Wrong).”
I’d watch the series before reading any of these pieces. And then go back and read Pressler’s original story. It’s all good stuff.
Troubling comments
NBA commissioner Adam Silver, speaking at the NBA’s All-Star Weekend, had some troubling comments about media coverage. Because of COVID-19, reporters for all sports are generally being denied the locker room access they were afforded pre-pandemic. Some leagues — Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League — have indicated that, someday, reporters will be allowed back into the locker rooms.
But Silver seemed to hint that reporters should never return to the locker rooms. He started his comments by admitting that what he was about to say “may not be so popular” with reporters. He then said, “It’s not going to be so easy. I think that depending on where we see this virus, potential variants, you know, I think creating a little bit of distance may make more sense for the foreseeable future.”
Then Silver went further, saying, “I also think it’s a bit of an anachronism to have reporters in the actual room where players are dressing. … To me, there are two issues: There’s just the health and safety issues for the players and for all of you as well. Then there’s also — I’m not sure if we were designing a system from scratch today, we would say come stand next to the players at their lockers as they’re dressing, and that’s the appropriate forum to interview them.”
Silver said he appreciated media coverage and that it was important to the league, and that he’s all for helping the media do their jobs. But he also added it might be time to take a “fresh look” at media access.
As you would expect, media members were not pleased — and for good reason.
The Undefeated’s Marc J. Spears, a veteran NBA writer, tweeted, “It’s insulting to say NBA reporters are standing around in a locker room watching players dress. Before the pandemic, many relationships between NBA players & media were built during that 30-45 minute period. Interviews done. If the players don’t want to talk, they don’t have to.”
The Washington Post’s Michael Lee tweeted, “It's insulting & it's lazy. The best stories are mined in the locker rooms. Otherwise, you wind up with a lot of gossip, rumors & distrust.”
Newsday's Neil Best tweeted, “Common misconception: It is not about locker rooms per se, it is about a room of some sort where interaction can occur that allows reporters to gather information of interest to fans - and not just a sterile, formal podium.”
As a sportswriter for 30 years who has spent countless hours in locker rooms, I cannot tell you how valuable that time is. It’s not just about interviewing athletes. It’s about building relationships, getting to know athletes, getting them to trust you as an ethical journalist. That’s often done without a tape recorder or notebook. It’s done through casual conversations that often can only happen in a locker room. And, along the way, there are serendipitous stories that pop up because of it.
Sportswriters and athletes managed to coexist for decades in locker rooms. There’s no reason it cannot happen again, especially when there are no longer health concerns. The concern for the media is that limiting access is helping leagues and teams control the message — and that’s not only bad for the media, but for the public.
Turn out the lights
