Maybe we’re biased, but we think it’s safe to say Ears To The House has been the most vocal critics of Carl Craig and Omar Smith’s appalling treatment of Annabel Ross over the past week. A few people have asked us why – a question which makes sense. Given the disgraceful slurs of misogyny she has previously meted out towards this site’s past incarnation, it would have been understandable if we’d remained silent.
In reality, that wasn’t an option. Carl Craig and Omar Smith were engaging in a direct attack on journalism. It was the last resort from two desperate scoundrels, who would prefer everyone meekly keeps giving them money so they can remain accustomed to their wealthy lifestyles. And we concluded it had to be called out – and called out in strong terms.
There is, however, one thing about this whole sorry saga which has left us feeling despondent – the fact the mainstream dance music press did not come to her defence. Annabel Ross is dance press royalty in the eyes of many of her fellow journalists. Her reporting on allegations surround Derrick May and Erick Morillo won them awards, after all.
Yet none of her friends in the media came to her defence – and she has plenty. Resident Advisor’s editor-in-chief Whitney Wei is one of those. In recent days, Wei has had time to post on her social media about a letter she’s posted on her site, details about her recent birthday and posted a selfie of herself in a red dress – but hasn’t had the time to post a message of solidarity for her friend.
Indeed, we can only find a few words from journalists within the industry in support of her – most notably from Amy Fielding, the fashion editor at DJ Mag. But in the likes of Resident Advisor or Mixmag, who carried her reports? There hasn’t been a single word of condemnation published on their pages. Their readers are entitled to ask why.
Another thing which the dance music press have failed to cover is an interesting news story within a post Annabel Ross posted on her own blog. She alleges Carl Craig personally intervened to block her from reviewing the Movement Electronic Festival in Detroit this year. Ross claimed in her post that the festival relented to Craig’s pressure owing to the high-profile cancellation of Russian DJ Nina Kraviz a few days earlier.
Paxahau have not denied the story – and have refused to comment to Ears To The House and the other very few outlets which have been covering the fallout in recent days. Carl Craig hasn’t denied the story either. A dance music press worth its salt would have been digging into that story to find the truth. They haven’t even attempted to do so.
Are the dance music press really so desperate to keep their access to DJs who occasionally grant them pathetically stage-managed, boring interviews that they’ll sacrifice a story? It’s beginning to look like it – and their reluctance to defend one of their own amidst this outrageous attack on legitimate journalism simply makes us even more suspicious…
