Hate can be a useful creative resource
Don't be a dick for the sake of it, but sometimes it's OK to hate stuff everyone else loves
HEADS UP — there won’t be a newsletter next week as I’m in Liverpool visiting my sister!
Anyone who spent any time on the internet this week will have seen that article about Shrek. It was a piece in The Guardian titled ‘Shrek at 20: an unfunny and overrated low for blockbuster animation’, which criticized the Shrek franchise and interrogated exactly why it has endured so well, 20 years after it was first released in 2001.
There was outrage from every corner of the internet as people reacted to the article — it was immediately clear from the ratio of likes to quote tweets what people thought of the piece. Twitter users across the globe said, “Hey now, how dare you criticize our beloved Shrek, bastion of meme culture and hallmark of the millennial experience?”
A tidal wave of people chimed in saying that the article reflects the decline of media, with The Guardian resorting to ‘clickbait’ in order to generate advertising revenue. The cynic in me thinks that there’s likely some truth to this — particularly since The Guardian isn’t behind a paywall. I couldn’t resist making my own quip in the heat of the moment, riffing on the franchise’s excellent soundtrack, as my feed was flooded with similar reaction posts:
‘How incendiary is this likely to be?’ is certainly a question that commissioning editors ask themselves before greenlighting a pitch. I know that some of the highest performing articles on The Indiependent are those that have a strong opinion hook — and usually these are the same pieces that attract swarms of union jack inspired usernames to leave unsavoury comments on our social media channels. As an editor, you’d be foolish not to consider the viral potential of each piece you commission.
If you’re an editor tasked with trying to make money and keep the lights on at an outlet, then it follows that you would commission ‘harmless’ opinion pieces like the Shrek feature in order to drive traffic to the site. As an editor, this is a far easier decision to take than it is to commission an unsavoury political figure whose views may result in you being personally cancelled. It’s unlikely that heads would ever roll over a feature about a loveable ogre. So the basis for why the piece was commissioned is clear — it was a harmless way of making sure The Guardian was the paper at the forefront of everyone’s mind last week.
But the more I thought about the Shrek piece over the course of the week, the more I realised how rare it is for us to read genuine criticism these days. In a world where journalists are sent extravagant Christmas gifts, given press passes to ‘exclusive’ events and screenings where they are plied with booze, and then cajoled by PR reps to review the latest book/film/album/TV series, it’s easy to default to positive review writing. If you’re feeling generous, then perhaps you might see this as a desire to help independent creators on their way up by only writing nice things. My mum’s mantra of “If you’ve got nothing nice to say, don’t say it”, springs to mind. But if you’re less generous — or perhaps you’ve been on the receiving end of these freebies and know firsthand how persuasive they can be — then you’ll probably feel uneasy about the often over-the-top lengths that PRs go to get their clients in the press.
What was so refreshing about the Shrek article, then, was the fact that it was so unapologetically critical. Yes, the headline was clickbaity. But the piece itself was well-articulated and couched its title’s bold claim in sound reasoning. So what can early career stage journalists take away from this whole ‘controversy’? Well, I’m taking away the reminder that not everything I write has to be a glowing endorsement. Sometimes it’s OK to hate stuff everyone else loves.
My week
… in editing
Here’s a great piece by my co-editor James Reynolds on the new album ‘Delta Kream’ by The Black Keys; a really interesting interview with Tyler Shaw (who has toured with Selena Gomez) by Salma Ouaguira; and a review of ‘Untitled’, the new JAWS song, by Alannah Williams.
… in writing
Pitches: 0
Commissions: 0
I got approached by a company that wants to work together on a long-term project. It looks promising money-wise but I’m waiting until we have an initial meeting before getting my hopes up.
Articles written: 0
Articles published: 0
I put a lot of effort into a job application which I sent off this week, so motivation to pitch alongside my day job has been at a big fat 0. I’m hoping to get back in the saddle next week — watch this space.
… in listening/watching
I started watching The Sopranos with my boyfriend and it’s really chuffing good.
I’ve been listening to Olivia Rodrigo’s SOUR pretty much on repeat, too.
… in reading
If you’d like some alternative Shrek takes then check out Ella Kemp’s VICE piece on ‘A cultural evolution of ‘Shrek’, from Blockbuster hit to historic meme’
I loved this Journo Resources piece on ‘Everything new writers should know about starting out in journalism’
I’m a massive geek when it comes to machine learning so I loved this MIT Technology Review piece on how ‘A GPT-3 bot posted comments on Reddit for a week and no one noticed’
This piece in The Atlantic by Arthur C. Brookes about using the pandemic as ‘A once-in-a-lifetime chance to start over’ was thought-provoking
Serena Smith’s Huck piece on ‘Why more young people are ditching their smartphones’ was fascinating
Sophie Gallagher’s piece for The Independent on ‘How the pandemic and modern work made burnout an acceptable state’ was an eye-opening read
I really liked this GQ piece by Justin Myers ‘Friendship is a greater reward — and challenge — than romance’
Gina Tonic’s piece on kink and whether any are actually off-limits for Refinery29 was great
Events
On 22 June The Guardian Live is hosting a lunchtime event on ‘The importance of newsroom diversity’. Starts at 1.00pm, and is in partnership with The University of Manchester.
On 12 July at 8.00pm, former The Guardian foreign correspondent Hella Pick will be talking to Emma Graham-Harrison about her extraordinary life and career — get tickets here.
Opportunities
Make sure you enter the Freelance Writing Awards, and nominate your freelance writing colleagues that you think deserve to win! It’s free to enter, and there are lots of great awards — nominations close at midday on 3 June, and award entries close at midday on 8 June. Details here.
England (remote): Reach PLC is looking for a regional sports newsdesk reporter
Birmingham: Reach PLC is looking for a shopping and consumer writer for BirminghamLive
Birmingham: Reach PLC is also looking for a local democracy reporter to cover the Black Country for Birmingham Live — this one is a 12-month fixed-term role
Bristol: The University of Bristol is in need of a media & PR assistant
Cambridge: Reach PLC is recruiting for a multimedia live news reporter to work on CambridgeshireLive
Derby: Orange Fox Media has a junior journalist gig up for grabs
Durham (remote): INFUSEmedia is looking for a junior copywriter
Glasgow: The BBC is looking for a Gaelic journalist for News Sport
Glasgow: Newsquest is hiring digital sports journalists with a keen interest in football (Rangers or Celtic)
Glasgow: There’s a senior journalist role here with Reporting Scotland via the BBC
Glasgow: That’s TV is looking for a news reporter/TV journalist
Inverness: The BBC is looking for a Gaelic journalist
Jersey: The BBC is looking for a journalist to join Radio Jersey
Leeds: ITV is looking for a content hub reporter (on-screen)
Leeds (home-based): Headway Recruitment is looking for a communications officer for a non-profit
Liverpool: Orange County CBD is looking for a digital marketing and PR executive
Liverpool: National Museums Liverpool is hiring a digital editorial lead
Manchester: Reach PLC is recruiting for a community reporter for Manchester Evening News
Newcastle: H&W media is looking for a journalist for Cannabis Health
Newcastle: Reach PLC is hiring a reporter to work on Chronicle Live
Newcastle: NCFE is an educational charity hiring a digital content officer
North Wales: Reach PLC is looking for a multimedia journalist for North Wales Live
Ollerton: Center Parcs is hiring a senior creative copywriter
Rotherham: The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust is looking for a media and communications officer
Salford: That’s TV is in need of a news reporter/TV journalist with a journalism qualification
Salford: Action for Humanity is looking for a media and communications officer (maternity cover)
Sheffield: Sheffield Hallam University is looking for a senior marketing and communications officer
Sunderland: JPI Media is looking for a digital journalist
Telford: Eden Horticulture is looking for a creative copywriter
