Fixer (person)

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A fixer is someone who carries out assignments for or is skillful at solving problems for others. The term has different meanings in different contexts. In British usage, the term is neutral, meaning "the sort of person who solves problems and gets things done". [1] In journalism, a fixer is a local person who expedites the work of a correspondent working in a foreign country. Use in American English implies that methods used to conceal their clients' identities or potential scandals are almost certainly of questionable morality, if not legality. [2] A fixer who disposes of bodies or "cleans up" physical evidence of crime is often more specifically called a cleaner. In sports, the term describes someone who makes (usually illegal) arrangements to manipulate or pre-arrange the outcome of a sporting contest.

Contents

Facilitator

Fixers may primarily use legal means, such as lawsuits and payoffs, to accomplish their ends, or they may carry out unlawful activities. The White House Plumbers have been described as fixers for Richard Nixon; their methods included break-ins and burglary. [3] Fixers who specialize in disposing of evidence or bodies are called "cleaners", [4] like the character of Victor "The Cleaner" in the film La Femme Nikita , or the fictional Jonathan Quinn, subject of the Brett Battles novel The Cleaner. [5]

In Britain, a fixer is a commercial consultant for business improvement, whereas in an American context a fixer is often an associate of a powerful person who carries out difficult, undercover, or stealth actions, or extricates a client out of personal or legal trouble. [1] [6] A fixer may freelance, like Judy Smith, a well-known American public relations "crisis consultant" whose career provided inspiration for the popular 2012 television series Scandal. [7] More commonly a fixer works for a single employer, under a title such as "attorney" or "bodyguard", which does not typically describe the kinds of services that they provide.

Sports match fixer

In sport, when a match fixer arranges a preordained outcome of a sporting or athletic contest, the motivation is often gambling, and the fixer is often employed by organized crime. In the Black Sox Scandal, for instance, Major League Baseball players became involved with a gambling syndicate and agreed to lose the 1919 World Series in exchange for payoffs. [8] In another example, in 1975, Boston mobster Anthony "Fat Tony" Ciulla of the Winter Hill Gang was identified as the fixer who routinely bribed jockeys to throw horse races. [9] [10] Other insiders may also be fixers, as in the case of veterinarian Mark Gerard, who, in September 1978, was convicted of fraud for "masterminding a horse-racing scandal that involved switching two thoroughbreds" so that he could cash in on a long-shot bet. [9]

Journalism aide

In journalism, a fixer is someone, often a local journalist, hired by a foreign correspondent or a media company to help arrange a story. Fixers will most often act as translators and guides, and will help to arrange local interviews that the correspondent would not otherwise have access to. They help to collect information for the story and sometimes play a crucial role in the outcome. [11] Fixers are rarely credited, and often put themselves in danger, especially in regimes where they might face consequences from an oppressive government for exposing iniquities the state may want to censor. [12] [13]

In modern journalism, these aides are often the prime risk mitigators within a journalist's team, making crucial decisions for the reporter. According to journalist Laurie Few, "You don't have time not to listen (to the fixer)", and anybody who disregards a fixer's advice "is going to step on a landmine, figurative or actual". [14] Throughout the last 20 years,[ timeframe? ] fixers have ranged from civilians to local journalists within the regions of conflict. They are rarely credited and paid menially, which has begun a conversation for the compensation rights of these individuals. According to statistics gathered from the Global Investigative Journalism Network, the base pay for a fixer's time ranged from US$50–400 per day. [14]

A map based on publicly accessible research data shows a visual representation of data collected from various studies conducted on both fixers and their journalist counterparts from over 70 countries. Gathered from the Global Reporting Centre, the survey demographic map had 132 respondents from North America, 101 from Europe, 23 from South America, Africa and Eurasia, 63 from Asia and 9 from Australia. [15]

Numerous films and several songs have been named The Fixer . As a genre, they illustrate the different meanings of the term. Most commonly, they refer to the kind of person who carries out illicit activities on behalf of someone else. For example, the 2008 British television series The Fixer is about "a renegade group acting outside the law to bring order to the spiraling criminal activity in the country". [16]

Notable fixers

Business

Entertainment

Journalism

Organized crime

Politics

Public relations

Religion

See also

Related Research Articles

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Fixer or The Fixer may refer to:

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References

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  2. ↑ "Definition of fixer in English". Oxford Dictionaries . Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  3. ↑ Garment, Suzanne (April 13, 2018). "Cohen Makes Nixon's Fixers Look Like Amateurs". Real Clear Politics . Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  4. ↑ Demery, Rod (May 28, 2020). "Homicide Detective Fact Checks Crime Scenes from Breaking Bad to CSI". True Crime (Interview). Vol. 1, no. 5. Vanity Fair . Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  5. ↑ Battles, Brett (2007). The Cleaner. Random House. ISBN   978-0-440-24370-0.
  6. ↑ "fixer, noun". Merriam-Webster Dictionary . Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  7. ↑ McDowell, Jeanne Dorin (April 24, 2012). "Real 'fixer' behind 'Scandal' steps into spotlight". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved January 25, 2019.
  8. ↑ Linder, Douglas (2010). "The Black Sox Trial: An Account". University of Missouri, Kansas City . Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  9. 1 2 Swenson, John (December 25, 2013). "The Sport of Kings Is Full of Scum". Vice . Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  10. ↑ "The Greatest Race-Fixer Of Them All" Archived August 23, 2021, at the Wayback Machine , by Stuart Marques, The New York Sun , January 17, 2005. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  11. ↑ Arjomand, Noah Amir (2022). Fixing Stories: Local Newsmaking and International Media in Turkey and Syria. Cambridge University Press. ISBN   9781316518007.
  12. ↑ Clore, Kathlyn (February 4, 2009). "10 things journalists should know about fixers: Covering minorities". European Journalism Centre. Archived from the original on April 10, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
  13. ↑ "In Journalism, what is a fixer?". WiseGeek. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  14. 1 2 Klein, Peter W.; Plaut, Shayna (November 16, 2017). "Fixing the Journalist-Fixer Relationship". Global Investigative Journalism Network. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  15. ↑ "Fixing the Journalist-Fixer Relationship". Global Reporting Centre. November 10, 2017. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  16. ↑ "The Fixer (2008)". Kent Film Office . February 4, 2008. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  17. ↑ Szlasa, Justin (March 21, 2012). "Being Winston Wolfe: 9 Reasons Why 'Pulp Fiction' is the Management Guide Every Indie Filmmaker Needs". IndieWire.
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  34. ↑ Newland, Christina (March 15, 2016). "The Truth About the Tyrannical Hollywood Fixer Who Inspired 'Hail, Caesar!'". Vice.com. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  35. ↑ Wood, Gaby (April 7, 2014). "Mickey Rooney's amazing sex life". The Telegraph. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  36. 1 2 3 "The real-life Ray Donovans: Fixers behind Tinseltown's dark secrets", by Tim Walker, Independent, July 14, 2013.
  37. ↑ Avenue, Committee to Protect Journalists 330 7th; York, 11th Floor New; Ny 10001. "The Fixers". cpj.org. Retrieved April 23, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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  41. ↑ "Former Teacher Accused of Being Cartel Fixer". The Growling Wolverine. November 28, 2022. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
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  47. ↑ Weiner, Tim (October 9, 1994). "C.I.A. Spent Millions to Support Japanese Right in 50's and 60's". The New York Times.
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  49. ↑ Gerard Couzens (September 15, 2022). "Kinahan cartel dealt devastating blow as 'key' man Johnny Morrissey arrested in Costa del Sol". Sunday World. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
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  51. ↑ "Mexico captures leader of brutal Zetas drug cartel". Reuters. July 15, 2013. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
  52. ↑ Everitt, Anthony (2007). Augustus The Life of Rome's First Emperor. Random House. p. 59. ISBN   9780812970586 . Retrieved July 29, 2021.
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  61. ↑ "The Atlantic: Why Does the Catholic Church Keep Failing on Sexual Abuse?". The Atlantic. January 28, 2023.
  62. ↑ "Former Scientology Senior Executive: 'Will Smith Is Not A Scientologist'". The Daily Beast. January 28, 2023.
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