Scandal411 Fan Controversy

Scandal411 Fan Controversy

"it was claimed by The Wrap that a controversial fan-based Twitter account, with over 26,000 followers, is run by an ABC employee. Courtney Pajor, ABC's New York director of special sales, has been outed as the founder of the Twitter account Scandal411 and its sister website Scandal411.com "

About

@ScandalABC tweet to @Scandal411 (Source:ScandalGladiators.Tumblr.com)

On October 23, 2013, the news media blog TheWrap.com reported that the individual behind the popular Scandal fan blog, Scandal411.com, as well as the Twitter handle @Scandal411 belonged to Courtney Pajor, a director of special sales for the ABC network (the same network that Scandal airs on). Part of the controversy surrounding Pajor’s possible connection to the account is that Scandal411 did not disclose any employment connection to the network. According to the report, Pajor works out of the ABC New York offices. Within hours after other news outlets such as Entertainment Weekly and New York Daily News ran the story, the Twitter account handle changed to @GrantForPrez and then the account was quickly deactivated, along with the blog post.

Network Response

Although TheWrap claimed to have documents linking Pajor to the account, the network quickly released a statement stating “We take these allegations very seriously. We are investigating the situation and will handle accordingly.”

Two days later, without going into specifics, ABC released another statement clearing Pajor of having any connection with @Scandal411. The statement read as followed: “After an exhaustive investigation, we have determined that Courtney Pajor is NOT the creator or driving force behind Scandal411, nor do we have reason to believe she had anything to do with the website or twitter account.  The fact is, Scandal411 was the brainchild of an ex roommate of Courtney’s, who has no affiliation with ABC or the program.” Within hours, the Scandal411.com blog posted an apologetic message to all of their readers, writing that she has never worked for the network or the show and professed her love for Scandal, labeling it as a “fun escape” that introduced them to new friendships. The WordPress Scandal411.com blog is now marked protected, meaning users must request access from the owner in order to gain access.

User Behavior

Before the scandal broke, the Scandal411 Twitter account was one of the most popular “fan voices” of the Gladiators fan community, garnering nearly 26,000 followers, propelling Scandal as one of the most tweeted show in 2013. According to the Nielsen-ran, television meets social media metrical analysis website, SocialGuide.com, Scandal ranked in the top 10 with 3.5 million interactions from January 2013 to May 2013. Oftentimes, the person behind the Scandal411 Twitter account would send out a rash of profanity-laced tweets, attacking fans who labeled he or she as “crazy”, spoiled episodes in advance, and cursed out media outlets that did not agree with their point of view, such was the case in September 2013 when Kerry Washington did not win the Primetime Emmy award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (the honor went to Homeland's Claire Danes). Afterwards, Scandal411 sent out a tweet attacking the Academy of Television Arts & Science that read, “If cursing offends you I apologize in advance…block me if you’d like…F*** YOU ATAS!”

Public Reception

A recent blog post from Serenity, a Scandal fan site dedicated to Olivia and Fitz has speculated that ABC and the cast and crew of Scandal may have known about Pajor’s involvement and the controversial Twitter account and blog helped the show’s ratings and cited specific “behind the scenes” secrets Scandal411 tweeted out during a recent BET marathon.