I want to get something off my chest on a dilemma that has been bothering me this week. It's a problem that you sometimes see in the mainstream news media. DISCLAIMER: No, I am not talking about politics and this is not what this post is about. The problem that I am seeing with news lately is that I find a lot of citations from reports questionable claiming that they got their info from the direct source without any confirmation from said source. I call this the "My Dad Works For Nintendo" Syndrome (aka MDWFN).
The MDWFN Syndrome is a term that I use as a way of describing questionable news that looks like playground talk. This could be anything like, "I was contacted by/know someone that works for Nintendo and they said that Metroid Prime 4 will be released next year and will be available on Nintendo Switch, XBOX One, and PS4," or something related to any sort of media without any proof of confirmation to back it up. You may even remember my post about Screen Rant that they did the same thing announcing that the trailer for Godzilla: King Of The Monsters will be released next week instead of this week because Warner Bros. told them so and they were laughed at. Last night, news broke out that may spark some truth to Screen Rant's claim...if it is true.
Last night, there was news that we won't see the next Godzilla: King Of The Monsters trailer until Monday. Alright, I'm fine with that, but where is the source? Well, this news was "exclusive" news over on a fan site called Toho Kingdom and they claim that they were contacted by Warner Bros. themselves. That sounds familiar, right? Apparently, Warner Bros. and Toho Kingdom have done exclusive stuff with each other since late 2013 like showing off pictures and videos and make exclusive announcements for these movies. Here is the thing, after reading all of the news dating back to 2013 the only exclusive I found from Toho Kingdom is that they were the ones that announced the official title for Godzilla: King Of The Monsters. That is not to say that perhaps they didn't announce more exclusive stuff than that. It is the impression that I am getting after reading their reports on the development of these movies that date back to 2013. What I am having a hard time with is that there is nothing else that I see Toho Kingdom do as far as exclusive info goes. Also, the most recent news about the trailer is not the type of exclusive news that I would hear from a Godzilla fan site. This is the type of news I would rather read from either Warner Bros., Legendary Pictures, or the director himself. I need some other confirmation that does not come from, what I believe, is questionable source of info.
It's the same thing as Screen Rant that they announced after Tokyo Comic Con that we will not see the trailer until next week. What was their source? Well, Warner Bros. contacted them. That seems to be enough confirmation, right? It came from Warner Bros., the same source that Toho Kingdom got their info from. What is the difference between getting the same info from Screen Rant and Toho Kingdom? Just because one did a little more than the other does not mean that one is more legitimate than the other. Also, are we just going to rule out that Michael Dougherty deconfirmed the claim by announcing that the trailer was coming out on Sunday all because one source said that it was coming on Monday? Michael Dougherty is the director of the movie, so he counts as a reliable source. So I wouldn't rule out Dougherty's message that easily.
Like I said, I'm fine with the trailer not coming out until Monday. It just means that the Comic Con Experience in Brazil will get it first and everyone else the next day. It's just where this information is coming from that is bugging me. Maybe I am over-reacting and Toho Kingdom is a reliable source when it comes to the development on Godzilla: King Of The Monsters, Godzilla Vs. Kong, and any other future monster movies that Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures has planned. If the news turns out to be legit, then more power to you. The news from Toho Kingdom just sounds as questionable as Screen Rant's news to me.
What do you guys think? Do you think the news from Toho Kingdom has merit and you consider it legit or do you think that this should be taken lightly? Leave a comment in the comment section on my Facebook page of your thoughts on this subject. Make sure to follow me on my Facebook page and Twitter to stay up to date for more Godzilla news, reviews, and discussions.