#narcity

Okay so we stopped complaining here/on the FNoMTL IG about MTL Blerg once it became clear they can’t separate negative and positive attention (which explains a lot), but, please. If you care at all about the state of media, even on a purely selfish level – ‘I demand to be entertained and informed! – read  this FB post and email.

The email was directed towards one of the founders of Epicerie Pumpui after he posted a link to their coverage of the upcoming launch – only the ‘article’ was full of inaccuracies (e.g. calling it an 'Indian-themed restaurant' like it was some sort of Club Med buffet), included stock photos and was, duh, so poorly written, had a bot produced it it would hang its virtual head in shame. It should be noted that his post was even and fair – 'all news is good news' doesn't really apply when you didn’t even get the type of cuisine right.

But it's the writer's response that is of interest. In this email, she:

-Tells him his remarks are offensive and 'not welcome' and suggests he email her privately and politely in the future. Again, his public post was commenting on her public article. -Claims her good intentions should overshadow any terrible writing/inaccuracies, and says she got her info from Resto Montreal (they must be thrilled to be a content farm! And also, doesn’t look like they’ve even covered the soon-to-open spot). -Directs him not to her editor but her sales team. -Informs him that a sponsored article on MTL Blog costs $2500 but would allow him to control the content.

A pessimist might suggest that that is exactly the point – their SEO-directed-content clusterf*ck has guaranteed many of their posts a top spot in Google search results, whether they’re about The Top 48 Best Racist Halloween Costumes or How To Date A Passed Out College Girl – but hey, if you want accurate information, you've got to pay. The joke goes ‘You had one job!’ but maybe that is not her job at all.

So, for the last time (ha), why engage with content if it isn't well-written or accurate? 'Because it's there'? We fear that is it. Because it's easy to click? Because somehow, even in an age of social anxiety and information overload, quantity>quality? Because we’d rather spend six seconds reading a bunch of random words strung together that neither amuse nor inform than be alone with our thoughts? But this is where we're headed. Or where we're at.

(And we won't even get into what this sort of thing does to people trying to make a living off of writing/photography/blogging, or how this low bar for 'journalism' has a ripple effect – clickbait coverage gets a bit darker when you're posting uninformed pieces on vaccines or US politics, but keeping people un-critical of the media they consume sure does help get that garbage to circulate.)

First time shooting with Paige in the almost 8 years that we’ve known each other! // Distillery District, Festival of Lights

Model: Paige Anderson

From Gastroposter Siffat Haider, via Instagram: