Television Critic Moonlights as ‘Mayhem’ Screenplay Writer

If the “written by” credit on “Monday Night Mayhem” looks familiar to avid followers of the TV industry, that’s because the Bill Carter listed is the same one who covers television for the New York Times.

Carter coauthored the 1989 book on which the film is based with Fortune magazine’s Marc Gunther and, after selling the movie rights, agreed to write the screenplay. Carter did the same on “The Late Shift,” the 1996 Home Box Office movie about the David Letterman-Jay Leno duel to succeed Johnny Carson, also based on his book.

It is generally a matter of policy for newspapers not to let reporters enter into business relationships with companies they might cover, though such entanglements have become more difficult to avoid as media companies have grown.

A New York Times spokesman said Carter received no payment from the network, TNT, having made his deal directly with producer LG. Films, which he does not cover. The paper is “confident that he has avoided any conflict of interest,” the spokesman said. Carter recused himself from reporting on TNT while the movie was in production.

Brian Lowry