Imagine for a moment that you’ve applied for a freelance writing position at an entertainment news site in an effort to scratch the eternal itch of wanting to write for a living. You’re hired, onboarded, and begin working at the publication, thrilled to be living the freelance dream. Then, moments after learning that the site is under new ownership, you’re thrown a bit of a curveball: “By the way, the site doesn’t have the best reputation. In fact, it’s kind of known to be a clickbait site.”
I know what this feels like, because it happened to me when I became a contributing writer at We Got This Covered in August of 2021. I wasn’t immediately worried when I heard the news ⏤ what publication hasn’t had its ups and downs? ⏤ but over time, I watched in horror as users on Twitter, Reddit, and the site’s own comments section took a hatchet to WGTC, proclaiming it to be a “fake news site” hell-bent on spreading disinformation at every turn.
It wasn’t just the comments that disturbed me ⏤ it was the knowledge that the site I wrote for was nothing like the one people were trash-talking online. I had no idea what WGTC was like prior to me joining it, but I did know that my coworkers and I weren’t fabricating stories or purposely composing misleading headlines. On the contrary, we were covering breaking news objectively, carefully identifying when rumors were rumors, and operating with full journalistic integrity.
Despite this, questions and accusations about WGTC’s integrity continued to swirl, and still do. The longer I’ve worked at the site ⏤ first as a freelance writer, then as an Associate Editor, Deputy Managing Editor, and now Managing Editor ⏤ the longer I’ve seen how untrue all of the negative claims about WGTC are. Don’t get me wrong, WGTC may have been a “clickbait site” back in the day. I don’t know, I wasn’t here yet. But I’m here now, and given the changes the site has undergone in both ownership and leadership, I’d like to clear a few things up about who we are, how we operate, and how credible we are as an entertainment news source.
What is We Got This Covered?
WGTC is an entertainment news publication that covers movies, TV, celebrities, Marvel, Netflix, and anime, among many other beats. We’re as passionate about sharing the news with our readers as we are offering our hot takes on everything from what’s performing well on streaming to what could happen in Marvel’s next blockbuster. Our team is made up of writers and editors from all over the world who go to great lengths to produce high-quality content for our fellow entertainment lovers to enjoy. This doesn’t mean we’re perfect, of course; we make mistakes just like any other publication. But when we make them, we fix them, learn from them, and always strive to do better next time.
Who owns We Got This Covered?
We Got This Covered is owned by Gamurs Group, a leading gaming, esports, and entertainment media network based out of Sydney, Australia and Austin, Texas. Gamurs acquired its flagship publication, Dot Esports, in 2016, and is now the proud owner and operator of 17 digital publications including The Mary Sue, Pro Game Guides, Twinfinite, and Attack of the Fanboy. The company’s mission is to redefine gaming and entertainment media by creating high-quality, timeless content for its readership of over 66 million monthly readers.
Is We Got This Covered a reliable news source?
While I can’t speak to how things were at the site before I came on board in 2021, here’s what I can tell you about how WGTC has been operating ever since Gamurs acquired it:
- WGTC is a 24-hour newsroom composed of hardworking writers and editors who span the globe
- We publish a mix of breaking news, SEO, and original commentary/analysis
- We do ample research to ensure that we’re sharing facts and noting when a story is based on a rumor or is merely speculation
- We have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to plagiarism and our writers are trained to write and submit completely original copy
- We do not use AI in our writing; all reporting comes from living, breathing humans
- We actively interview celebrities and industry professionals, from Chris Pratt and Justin Hartley to Mark Jobst and Catherine Corcoran
- We’re accredited on Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic
- We do everything possible to prevent spoilers from reaching readers who are also hoping to avoid them
Is We Got This Covered a clickbait site?
Every online publication on the internet aims to garner traffic by publishing stories that readers want to read. Traffic doesn’t only keep websites running, it helps keep writers and editors employed. There are many ways to go about getting said traffic, and one of them ⏤ publishing false stories with clickbait-y headlines that promise something the article can’t deliver ⏤ is a quick way to kill a publication’s reputation.
As of July 2021, when Gamurs acquired We Got This Covered, I can confirm that WGTC has not and is not ever going to intentionally publish a story that is false, fake news, or derived from an unreliable source. If, for example, it is announced that Zac Efron has been cast as Lord Farquaad in Shrek: The Musical: The Movie, then we’re going to report on that as breaking news. If no such announcement is made, but we’re hoping that Zac Efron is cast as Lord Farquaad in Shrek: The Musical: The Movie, then our headline is going to read 10 reasons why Zac Efron should be cast as Lord Farquaad in ‘Shrek: The Musical: The Movie.’
We Got This Covered may have developed an unfortunate reputation for being a clickbait site in the past, but today it is a functioning newsroom that adheres to journalistic standards and operates at the highest possible level to provide quality content to its readership. We love sharing our thoughts and opinions with fellow movie, TV, and entertainment buffs, but we’re not going to publish something that isn’t true just to get clicks. The humans who keep the site running have morals and we’re not interested in misleading anyone, especially because we don’t want to be misled by disinformation ourselves!
Can I trust We Got This Covered?
To put it simply, yes, you can trust the new and improved We Got This Covered! You can also trust me when I tell you that the writers and editors who work at this site are some of the best people I’ve ever had the privilege of working with, and they make coming to work every day an absolute pleasure. We’re all here because we love the world of entertainment as much as you do, and none of us has any intention of leading you astray or sharing fake news. Doing so would be highly unethical and have zero long-term payoff for us as a publication, which is why Gamurs’ acquisition has marked a fresh era for the site and we’ve shed our prior reputation and forged ahead as a site you can trust.
Don’t just take my word for it, though. Here’s what some other members of the team have to say about the site’s credibility and their experience working at WGTC.
Christian Bone is a Staff Writer specializing in Marvel, movie, and TV coverage and has been with WGTC for over five years. He has seen firsthand how things at the site have changed since Gamurs acquired it:
“The difference between the old We Got This Covered and the Gamurs era of We Got This Covered is like day and night. Everyone on staff, from the editors to the freelancers, is dedicated to cultivating intelligent, insightful, creative coverage that adds something worthwhile to the conversation. Since the Gamurs regime began, I have been consistently impressed with everyone’s commitment to upholding ourselves to a high standard across the board. We’re not in the business of passing off uncorroborated rumors as fact and are certainly not interested in sharing any of our own. We’d just ask that you let our hard work since 2021 speak for itself.”
Nahila Bonfiglio is also a Staff Writer and has been working for WGTC since 2021. Before that, she worked as a writer, editor, and social media manager for The Daily Dot, delved into Texas politics through Austin’s NPR station, and shared noisy opinions via The Texas Standard and Editor and Publisher Magazine. Here’s what she has to say about who we are and how we operate:
“These days, our newsroom doesn’t resemble the publication you once knew. We’ve got a new Managing Editor, a fresh team of writers and editors, and we strive to deliver only accurate reporting on a variety of entertainment, media, and gaming topics. We don’t rely on any fake sources and we strive to maintain consistent ethics throughout our reporting. We seek transparency and honesty in everything we do. Many people continue to consider us among the web’s throwaway sites, but if you’ll give us another shot, I think we can prove that narrative wrong.
We write engaging, funny, and interesting stories picking apart all of your favorite fandoms and writers dig into their own die-hard histories to produce well-researched, interesting, and hilarious stories that range from deep dives into the history of your favorite anime to thorough dissections of which sea daddy reigns supreme. If you’re willing to give us another chance to earn your trust, I’d bet you’ll walk away surprised ⏤ and, hopefully, with a new source of entertainment news in your back pocket.”
Sarah Fisch is an Associate Editor at WGTC and has been with the site since 2021. A newsroom veteran as a writer and editor, her work has appeared in The Village Voice, LA Weekly, Glasstire, New Statesman, and The San Antonio Current, and she was also the recipient of an Annenberg Fellowship at the Annenberg School of Journalism at the University of Southern California.
“Whatever the flaws of WGTC’s content of yore, upon Gamurs’ acquisition of the site, the company built a news team of writers and editors who marry a fan’s enthusiasm and curiosity with editorial expertise and accountability. This means substantiating our sources, properly characterizing rumors, fact-checking pertinent information, crediting original reporting, and ongoing conversations among editors and writers about how best to cover a story. We aim to provide our readers with correct information, informed context, and engaging writing. From the time it’s pitched all the way through to meticulous copy-editing, WGTC’s writers and editors apply old-school standards of clarity, reliability, and correctness to every article.
Nuts-and-bolts journalism takes time, commitment, and meticulous follow-through; it’s a cumulative, hard-fought process that, ironically, goes largely unobserved. We live in bewildering times, media-message-wise, but by offering this bit of team transparency, we hope that you, the reader, can perceive the people who strive to shed light on this stuff we love, not further muddy the waters with cynical, exploitative, unthoughtful content. WGTC wants to stand out in a media landscape cluttered by poorly-written, trend-enslaved, and increasingly AI-generated clickbait, and we work hard to do it.”
Apeksha Bagchi is a contributing writer and editor who does so much work for WGTC, I ask her almost daily if she gets enough sleep. Here’s what she has to say about her time at the site thus far:
“I have been writing for almost a decade now and in the beginning of my career (way back in 2015), We Got This Covered was one of the websites I steered away from ⏤ as a writer looking to work with credible websites and as a reader needing an engaging read ⏤ given its penchant for clickbait articles. Fortunately, me disliking the site back then did little to stop a friend from forwarding me a WGTC article in late 2021 when we wanted confirmation regarding a spicy Spider-Man: No Way Home theory. I was surprised by its authenticity, floored by its ability to hook this Marvel fangirl, and left wondering when WGTC stepped into its own renaissance era.
In short, I applied, was hired, and immediately discovered that the values the revamped WGTC swears by were not just on paper. Amid these principles to be authentic, original, and serve quality, human-created content was this giant space for creativity that allows ⏤ no, actively encourages my voice and personality (even the part that loves to test the limits of human patience) to run the lead on what I write, what I think, what I visualize. I don’t know what gives your imagination the boost it needs, but mine got some giant Drogon wings here. My advice? Clinging to the past is tiring. How about putting a pin in those lingering reservations about the old-but-not-gold past of WGTC and read our work now? If it’s not good, hey! You will then have something to back your opinion. If it is…well, welcome home!”
Charlotte Simmons is a contributing writer at WGTC as well as another Gamurs site, The Mary Sue, and has had nothing but positive things to say about her time at WGTC:
“Writing for WGTC has been nothing short of a fantastic experience; every facet of our newsroom atmosphere ⏤ from the leadership to our journalistic ethics to the uniquely creative ways we interpret the nuances of pop culture ⏤ is built upon interpersonal compassion and intellectual honesty, and it’s a team I’m thankful to be a part of.”
As for me, I’m insanely proud to work at a publication with such a diverse, dynamic, and dedicated team, every member of which is passionate about doing their job to the best of their ability. Gamurs has given me the chance to not only write and edit stories about topics I love, but ultimately lead this incredible team in a completely different direction than the one WGTC was previously heading in, and that’s something I’ll always be grateful for.
Even if you think you know what We Got This Covered is and what we’re all about, my hope is that you’ll give us another chance and open yourself up to the idea that we’ve evolved, because we have. And unless anyone has questions, I think that about covers it.
Published: Jan 12, 2024 04:57 pm