Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes has added a large number of new critics to its site. The move comes as part of an initiative to add more diversity and inclusion, thus providing a more balanced look at the media reviewed. This also comes in the wake of an announcement last year that the site was seeking to revamp its rating system.
According to Deadline, 55% of the new reviewers on the site identify as female, and while the push for diversity and inclusion includes the usual topics raised in conversations around those ideas (gender identification, race, ethnicity, etc.), Rotten Tomatoes' new critics are also a part of a newer conversation over venues and mediums of publication. Where a critic's work appears, "given the shift from newspapers and magazines to digital platforms," opens up a question of the legitimacy granted a non-traditional critic. 10% of the new critics publish reviews on YouTube and other digital venues, and the inclusion of these critics points to Rotten Tomatoes' willingness to acknowledge the shift in media to non-traditional publication and news outlets.
Part of the new impetus for the review aggregator is to continue to support critics who may not yet have the professional clout that more traditional reviewers do. In addition to a "$100,000 grant pledge to provide resources to reviewers at film festivals," many of the new critics have "indicated that gaining approved status by Rotten Tomatoes helped their traffic numbers, social media metrics and industry access." Despite this, 59% of the new crew also notes their legitimacy as journalists is still questioned, with 43% saying "they are unable to gain access to press preview screenings."
Rotten Tomatoes Senior Manager for Critical Relations Jenny Jediny calls the new infusion of critics a step toward "creating a Tomatometer-approved critics pool that reflects the global entertainment audience."