Public face key as writers' strike goes forward

By Steven Zeitchik

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - As a hundred striking writers gathered at Rockefeller Center in the chilly New York morning, Seth Meyers of "Saturday Night Live" could be seen turning to a union spokeswoman and mouthing the words, "Let me know if you need anything."

It was a telling moment for the Writers Guild of America (WGA), whose media strategy has both shied away from and desperately needed a public face.

With both the east and west coast branches of the WGA taking heat for their reticence in responding to claims made by the negotiating arm of the studios, the guild has staked out, depending on one's point of view, either the moral high ground or dangerously shy territory. As one publicity expert said, "Are you better off engaging with your opponents' accusations or staying above them?"

In the writers strike of 2007, the public relations battle -- what WGA East president Michael Winship calls the bid to avoid the stereotype of "scribes in Malibu" -- might be just as important as the struggle going on at the negotiating table.

"Our goal is to make sure people realize this is about the future of entertainment and how writers are paid for that entertainment, not about a rich entity against a richer entity," "Brothers & Sisters" creator Jon Robin Baitz said of the strike's media aims.

Support among the press is critical to striking writers as they try to gain leverage and public support.

At the moment, the writers have enjoyed a certain amount of goodwill, with bits lampooning management on shows like "SNL," "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" and "Late Show With David Letterman."

But as the strike wears on and writers no longer control the airwaves, they will need to find another way to make their case to the public. In most strikes, a prolonged stoppage tends to create indifference if not a backlash against the strikers.