The malaise of the media machine

**The video of SU President Nick Swain undoing a female student’s bra has been viewed over 22,000 times, as of Monday. The ‘story’ has been covered by two national papers. This week, I grieve for my sanity.**

The clip was first posted on video-sharing site Vimeo in July 2012. The video was edited and [re-posted on YouTube two weeks ago](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTEwFLHxKYs). The incident itself took place in December 2011, but only came to light [after a link was sent to the _Boar_ by a concerned student.](https://theboar.org/news/2013/feb/15/su-president-accused-of-inappropriate-behaviour/)

An ex-student, [David Reed, has since come forward](http://warwick.tab.co.uk/2013/03/04/revealed-the-man-behind-the-sexism-video/) claiming to the _Tab_ to have edited the ski tour video and uploaded it to YouTube using a [fake account titled ‘Nick Swain’](http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPha1xCJq09H-4m9IM1keHQ?feature=watch). In the edited video he states: “the video had no alternative agenda than to get someone to apologise for being sexist”.

He has apparently lambasted the student tabloid ‘for running the story in the way’ that they did. He piled the barrels and lit the match, yet somehow seems surprised by the explosion. What exactly did he expect would happen? A balanced, well-thought out and competently written response? From the _Tab_? Does he live under a rock?

Despite his naivety, he must be praised for his courage and dedication to the defence of women’s rights. The sickening humiliation of women, as seen in the video, must not be condoned, and the moral crusader who brought it to the attention of the entire student population at Warwick must be recognised for the valiant public duty he has performed. The media firestorm that followed must not overshadow the heroism shown by the whistle-blower in exposing Nick Swain for the dangerously out-of-control sexual deviant that he is.

After the story broke, true to form, the _Tab_ ran with the headline [“Swain in Sexism Scandal”](http://warwick.tab.co.uk/2013/02/15/swain-in-sexism-scandal/) demonstrating confident use of alliteration and cleverly incorporating the word ‘scandal’. What followed was an absolutely riveting read, ten lines of text interspersed with pictures for those who struggle with troublesome longer words.

The article is credited to Den Bover, a witty reworking of porn-star name ‘Ben Dover’ – the potent imaginations responsible for the pseudonym are a real credit to the University. I would, however, question the need for anonymity; the non-story of Nick Swain undoing a friend’s bra is hardly the stuff of _Wikileaks_.

{{ quote A national newspaper publishing misleading and incorrect information in an attempt to provoke some kind of hysterical response? Imagine }}

We move from one example of fine journalism to another. The _Daily Mail_ picked up on the non-story and ran with the headline [“Student president, 22, investigated after he unhooked girl’s bra at alcohol-fuelled party used to promote the university.”](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2285345/Warwick-University-student-president-22-investigated-unhooked-girls-bra-alcohol-fuelled-party.html) I don’t want to dwell on a detailed deconstruction, but several issues must be addressed. Nick Swain is not 22. The use of the word ‘investigated’ immediately suggests police involvement, therefore insinuating Swain may have committed a crime. The phrase ‘alcohol-fuelled party’ is patently ridiculous. The video was not ‘being used to promote the university’ it was used to advertise Warwick Snow to existing Warwick Students; it was hardly being shown to next year’s intake on University Open Days.

A national newspaper publishing misleading and incorrect information in an attempt to provoke some kind of hysterical response? Imagine.

The appalling headline begs the question-why bother keeping within the vague realms of reality at all? Why not just pluck bizarre statements out of thin air and print them as news? ‘Nick Swain, 46, charged for having indecent relations with a squirrel?’ ‘Nick Swain, 34, in chlamydia scare after unfortunate incident with an aubergine?’ The link between what is reported and what actually happens is already tenuous. Why not abandon all pretence and snap it altogether?

The _Daily Mail_ article continues in the same sensationalist tone, stating ‘the shocked girl desperately tries to cover herself up.’ This would be the same girl [who contacted the _Boar_ ](https://theboar.org/news/2013/feb/15/su-president-accused-of-inappropriate-behaviour/) after the video came to light:

“I wish to confirm that I was not offended or objectified, any attempt to portray this as such has been misconstrued and is not representative of his [Swain’s] character.”

Finally, we move toward lazy modern journalism in which interviewing a range of people to garner some kind of representative public response is replaced by a cursory glance at the online comment section. Out of 20,000 views, one person commented using the word ‘vile’. But the slant of the _Daily Mail_ article requires a hysterical, over-zealous reaction that chimes with the rest of the piece; clearly, a balanced, measured response would be too much to ask. The national paper could have perhaps contacted Warwick student Connor Schwarz, who told the _Boar_, apparently without any sense of irony:

“What I witnessed was a brutal objectification of a (quite clearly unwilling) female student and a total invasion of her bodily integrity.”

Though perhaps such a statement is too far, even for the hyperbolic nonsense routinely published by the tabloid.

Following the _Tab_’s lead, the _Daily Mail_ article features several photos of nasty Nick, this time with the completely superfluous caption ‘chubby’. Why stop there? Specify his gender. His hair colour. Describe his facial hair. Obviously the reader is so moronic that they unable to digest the photo on the screen and form an opinion as to his appearance, and require detailed instructions on how to consume such a complicated medium.

Just when this media cyclone seemed to have run its path, [the _Independent_ belatedly seized the non-story](http://www.independent.co.uk/student/news/warwick-student-union-president-under-fire-for-sexism-8516290.html), and reported it as news a full day and a half after the _Daily Mail_ first published their version of events. Piggybacking on news stories seems to be increasingly commonplace; but piggybacking on non-stories? Really? Is this what journalism has become? Making a meal out of the re-heated leftovers of someone else’s food?

A highly-flammable nothing strategically released on the eve of an election.

A national tabloid pouncing on an irrelevant non-entity and varnishing it with a thick coat of hysteria to compensate for the complete lack of substance.

A broadsheet that should know better dirtying its hands with the muck beneath a barrel that has been scraped clean.

Welcome to the Media Machine. Fills you with optimism, doesn’t it?