Sex Could Save Newspapers

A biting piece by About.com’s sexuality expert Cory Silverberg takes on mainstream media’s portrayal of sex:

Nowhere is the disconnect between mainstream news production and the lives and experiences of those of us who consume it more apparent than in content about sexuality. New outlets love an excuse to run sexual content because they know it attracts readers. But they have to keep it superficial and ultimately judgmental because they live in fear of complaining advertisers. The result is content that reflects back a stereotype and fails to connect with anyone’s lived experience.

I’ve complained about this before, but it was brought home to me again after giving up 15 minutes of my life I’ll never get back on a barely readable article from Time Magazine about the greening of sex. Wanna guess the headline? It was Sex and the Eco-City. Aren’t there rules that a title of an article at least has to make sense? Although once you read the article you realize the title fits, since the piece is a bizarre collection of disconnected points and surfaces barely scratched. It’s a keen idea, too bad the picture of sexuality it offers is hot off the press releases real people’s experience of sex is nowhere to be seen.

Sex is important to people. Very important. If and when media outlets start treating the topic, and us, as one worthy of their, at times, considerable intelligence and formidable journalistic and analytic skills, they may find an energized and loyal audience is just waiting for them.

Two words, Cory: hell, yes.

Thumbnail image by Margo C.