A public report on the Kickstarter has been published on their blog:
http://www.startrekaxanar.com/axanar-annual-report/ (with a link to download the Prelude financials)
I appreciate them responding and it's good to see that they did so publicly on their blog. However, it would've been nice if Robert Meyer Burnett responded more publicly — i.e. not just on a fan group — about the statements made on iO9 and Reddit.
That being said, I also feel that iO9 should've done more "reporting" and less reliance on one source. Questions had been raised and iO9 should've asked those involved directly about them, thus giving all sides a chance to chime in on the acquisitions.
The internet is full of trolls, making up lies and accusations. You say, in effect that the trolls raised questions and i09 should have given the trolls validity. ABSOLUTELY NOT. Lying trolls raising fake questions should NEVER be the basis of joining harassment.
That's not what I said. You're twisting my words and being hyperbolic.
There are legitimate questions, regardless of whether they're trolls or not, about where the money is going. That's a valid concern given the scope of the production, the money raised and Axanar's notoriety.
I'm not one to trot out credentials but in this case I will.
I am an
award-winning journalist, one of those awards was for investigative reporting. My winning story started with rumors about money being spent. I then followed the money, digging through documents and interviewing all those involved to write an objective story on what happened to the money.
As they say in journalism, "follow the money."
Now I'm not saying any wrongdoing occurred. But a real journalist — a legitimate news outlet — would've asked those questions, given each side a chance to answer, from Alec Peters to donors to the director who resigned to the production's current director. There's a story here that would've allowed Peters and the production a fair chance to respond, as well as tell the story of those donors who are concerned about where their money went.
If I were doing this story, I'd do it all on-the-record — no hiding behind anonymity. If someone wants to levy an accusation, then he or she should do it out in the open with his or her real name and stand by what is said.
A good journalist keeps an ear to the ground. If concerns about money are being raised, then you follow up and try to get the truth, or present all sides of it so that the reader can make his or her mind. It's not giving trolls validity. It's being fair and asking the tough questions. It's doing your job as a reporter.