putputhutFeb 15, 2024
Scalzi

Okay, now I've read the Barkley/Sanford report on the fracas involving the 2023 Hugo Awards and the decision to remove eligible finalists from the ballot. My opinion: the 2023 Hugo administrators perpetrated a fraud and the Hugo Award is in a very bad moment. What happens next determines its future. I have a piece over on my site going into my thoughts in some detail:

https://whatever.scalzi.com/2024/02/15/the-2023-hugo-fraud-and-where-we-go-from-here/

The 2023 Hugo Fraud and Where We Go From Here

There’s an investigative report out on the administration of the 2023 Hugo Awards, by Chris Barkley and Jason Sanford, and make no mistake about it, it is grim. The short version is that elig…

Whatever
Feb 15, 2024 at 4:25pmWeb
Show threadDodo & the BrawnFeb 15, 2024
@scalzi I feel so bad those hurt by the censorship including the 2023 winners.
Show threadJo - pièce de résistanceFeb 15, 2024
@dodoandthebrawn @scalzi the dystopia is in the house.
Show threadAntaconFeb 15, 2024
@scalzi thank you for sharing and writing about this event. While I've grown to distaste other media awards like the Oscars, I've held the Hugos on a pedestal since I was a teenager. They've led me to amazing authors like yourself. Having that structure undergo a clear breach shakes me and the community around it but instead of sweeping it under the rug I'm glad you and others are keeping it top of mind.
Show threadScalziFeb 15, 2024
@Antacon Sweeping under the rug was not an option here. All that gets you is a lumpy rug.
Show threadjz.tuskFeb 15, 2024

@scalzi

So much this:

"If the government of wherever the Worldcon is that year demands censorship of the Hugo finalists, then make that government fucking do it. (And then resign in protest.)"

Show threadKassandra BruneFeb 15, 2024
@scalzi hello
Show threadCheDNFeb 15, 2024
@scalzi appears to be another sad example of the adage "if you want to test a man's character, give him power."
Show threadCheryl MorganFeb 15, 2024
@scalzi I can’t see any Worldcon agreeing to such a contract. Too much legal risk. They’d insist that the Hugos were run by WSFS. Which is kind of what we want. Except that if WSFS becomes a proper organisation, they’ll get legal advice, and the lawyers will tell them never to publish nomination data again, and to make everyone involved in Hugo Admin sign NDAs.
Show threadScalziFeb 15, 2024
@CherylMorgan Sure, although lawyers work for their clients, and the clients can say "We need to do 'X' in a specific way, find us the version of that which allows us to do it in a manner that least exposes us to liability." And then the lawyers do that.
Show threadCheryl MorganFeb 15, 2024
@scalzi so we need to ensure that who ever ends up running WSFS will ask the lawyers the right questions.
Show threadBob MorrellFeb 15, 2024
@scalzi Amazing. They did the dirty work themselves. Whether they were pressured to, or made the final calls, they gathered the dossiers that were used.
Show threadAlopexFeb 15, 2024

@scalzi Suggestions for a 2023 re-do or adding the censored candidates to the 2024 or 2025 vote all sound like a minefield of problems.

What about a one-time separate award for those left out of the 2023 voting?

You could even call it the McCarty Censorship Awards.

Show threadPuer TristeFeb 15, 2024
@scalzi Great piece. I was just talking about this over lunch and this does a great job of expressing the same things I was feeling about it, even as an outsider.
Show threadWarren Currie 🦠🦐Feb 15, 2024
@scalzi kudos for writing about this. The whole fiasco is embarrassing, and hopefully something can be learned from it.
Show threadSteve SFeb 15, 2024

@scalzi
I bought _Babel_ because of the buzz. I wonder whether the censorship of the book has led to any other sales.

I don't think a re-do award is a workable fix. While the controversy may not have led to a lot of purchases like mine, a "banned in Chengdu" award would definitely be influenced by the controversy.

Show threadSarah RussellFeb 15, 2024
@scalzi Oh jeeze... this is some seriously Kentucky FRied crap right here. This hurts my soul.
Show threadLeo KorogodskiFeb 15, 2024
@scalzi What perplexes me is why no one gave thought to the censorship laws in China from the very beginning. Like, even to enter the location bid.
Show threadJennifer Kayla | Theogrin 🦊Feb 15, 2024

@cyberhuman @scalzi

This is a strong reason why many are suggesting a rift form between WorldCon and the Hugos. Were the two not linked in such a fashion, there may have been sufficient reason for the Hugos to be hosted elsewhere, and WorldCon might have simply run without qualm. Indeed, by many accounts, it was a smooth and sensible convention for the most part.

(Which isn't to imply perfection: SF/F is practically queer by its very nature and certain venues are antithetical thereto. As things stand I hope not to see a WorldCon in Nigeria or the UAE.)

Show threadLeo KorogodskiFeb 15, 2024
@theogrin @cyberhuman @scalzi Are you saying only the Hugos were affected by censorship? Were the censored books sold at the convention? I imagine it’s harder to control what’s being said at a panel, so they probably discussed at least somewhat. But I wonder to what extent their presence was diminished via censorship.
Show threadJennifer Kayla | Theogrin 🦊Feb 15, 2024

@scalzi

There is an odd syllogism to be found herein: censorship *in fear of the state* is often indistinguishable from, and even harsher than, censorship *by the state*. And here the perpetrators of the former find themselves complicit with the latter.

Show threadPete Alex Harris🦡🕸️🌲/∞🪐∫Feb 17, 2024
@scalzi
It looks like the Glasgow WorldCon is ready and determined to do better. Of course it's hard to test: the UK isn't censoring science fiction writers (yet), so the same political pressures won't be present to guard against. It will be easy to say the problem is solved when it was only evaded.
Show threadRobert Brandt (dragoner)Feb 19, 2024
@scalzi So the Chinese fans put on a huge expensive gala for science fiction fans, and westerners ruined it. I'm disappointed, though not surprised, I know we have a lot of problematic elements in our community. Just the other day I saw someone euphemistically referring to a holocaust denier as having "brain worms".