This is an issue that has increasingly impacted on male integrity through the digital age, and it is time to recognise and discuss this evolution, and give it some meaning, from the men’s perspective. The social effects are significant and the change might be paralleled with the advent of the printing press.

News, as many of us label the subject, is now an out of date term – it’s old hat journalism, and as cliché as ‘tell a woman’.

We progressed to the term media (plural for medium) for distribution of information/news, but now this term ‘media’ has taken on a life of its own and we need a more refined definition and understanding of impact and consequences.

‘The Media’
‘Mass Media’
‘From the Media’
‘Media outlet’
‘Media coverage’
“Media Event’
‘Authorised Media’
‘Media Representative’
‘Staged for the Media’
‘Media release’

In the age of commercialism the Media might now be called the ‘Slang Gang’.

The relative independence of this estate has been lost. It is no longer centred on the quality of the profession. The editor of a struggling news outlet, once looked at the consuming financial position of his organisation and wrote a serial story as a means to financial recovery. That serial later became the book Great Expectations and the news out let survived. The editor of course was Charles Dickens. (That’s an interesting book to read, as it was a contemporary story.)

Today, Media relies heavily on advertising, and attracting advertising. Advertising requires not necessarily an interested audience but simply an audience.

So, the best in the trade get the best return – but the best at what?

‘Breaking News’ and ‘Biggest Audience’ that’s the competitive edge that the Media business looks for at the expense of accuracy, relevance, significance and consequence.

Stuff the discussion, get their attention, get that click-bait up. The Media have become a bunch of adrenalin pumped junkies, fighting for their morsels of click-bait. Click-bait keeps me employed. Click-bait pays the bills.

(Click-Bait: provocative or sensational content that draws you to a particular webpage by clicking on a link.)

It’s the good editor that shows restraint, and writes ‘the news’, but likewise has to defend the lack of audience.

That has been adequately highlighted by the recent events on Waitangi Day, New Zealand’s national day, when Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce had a pink dildo thrown at him. Relevant posts on MENZ:

Assault on steven joyce with an allegation that was a rapist
Understanding Dildo Baggins

A news site like Radio New Zealand (RNZ) reported the story but moved on. Two days later both the NZ Herald and Stuff News are still driving the story into the international market, ringing every last byte of click-bait out of it.

But then Radio New Zealand is not the total innocent – they know how to tread the feminist market in New Zealand writing up this story ( Legalise Rape Meetings ) for their share of the click-bait. It was Mr Nobody selling advertising on his website for $150 a day, but I guess he needs a lesson in marketing – don’t make yourself the click-bait.

While RNZ backed off this story fast enough, it went around the globe; even kept British politicians occupied for a couple of days.

In both cases our dildo-throwing protestor and our self-professed ‘whatever’ have been tracked down and interviewed, by ‘Media’. Well, they both got their five minutes of fame, but I’m not sure what the world actually got out of this, except an invitation to click on the ‘sensational and provocative’ and fund the Slang Gangs.

The Media as such have moved into their own digital space and are distinguishing themselves from what we might call a ‘News Site’.

We need to be careful about What we click on, When we click on it, Where we click on it, and Why we click on it.

That’s looking like a line out of the old Gallagher movie, from the editor to the paperboy, “What, When, Who, How and Why, Boy! That’s what we need to know.”

We’ve effectively reversed roles, and are now having to rely on ourselves to edit the Media.

The role of a ‘Media Editor’ is no longer the leader of aspiring professionalism, correctness and accuracy, but leader of the mob.

Has the world witnessed a Media Meltdown?

And at what expense to Men?

Is the feminist Media a modern-day ‘tell-a-women’ mob?