I wanted to like The Odyssey.
Actually, no. That's essentially a lie. I've honestly always kind of hated it. I felt pure, unadulterated resentment towards it. When I was approached to write articles for The Odyssey, I was interested because I'd love a writing platform, but I talked myself out of it because it was always such a joke to me. Through this, I consistently found myself asking "Why? Why do you hate this platform so much?" But I think I finally put my finger on why exactly I often dislike it:
It's so hard for women to be taken seriously in journalism.
Granted, we have come a long way. If by "long way" you're considering the fact that at one point there were a solid zero female journalists, and today there are more than zero. But how many more? While movies and television have always loved the spunky, woman-journalist trope in characters like Louis Lane, Rita Skeeter, and Carrie Bradshaw - it hasn't been quite that easy for most female journalists.
Men have always had more present voices in media and the news. Including on topics you think you'd see more of a female presence. In 2011, 80% of all op-eds in major newspapers were male written. Regarding women's issues, male writers were quoted 67% more than female writers on subjects relating to women's health, specifically abortion and contraception according to the Women's Media Center. Those stats are from this year, 2016 - an election year. Arguably the time where the voices of American journalists are projected the most, and matter the most.
So why, The Odyssey? Why do you have to be so shitty?
That's the thing, though. The Odyssey, as a company and as a platform, isn't shitty. It's the student written articles that sometimes put a sour taste in my mouth. The site enables writers to publish pretty much anything they want (example: you're reading an article called I Hate The Odyssey), which is wonderful. A writer submits an article, it goes through your school or group's student editor (Hey, Abby), and then it's checked over once again by an editor from the site working specifically with your school (Hi, Magen). However, the editors don't have any sway on the kind of content you want to produce. So, what's the problem? That all sounds great. I guess it makes me a little disappointed that this open, free platform dominated by young, educated women is overrun with "articles" like...
Don't get me wrong. These authors totally have the right to write these sort of articles, and there's nothing wrong with silly content. I may roll my eyes when I see another 20 Things You Know if You're a [Insert Sorority Name Here], but I do get why those articles exist. It's great to have a media in which you can represent local topics, things that matter to and resonate with your community. I personally am guilty of reading click-bait BuzzFeed articles and taking Which Hogwarts House Does Your Cat Belong In? quizzes. They're fun. She's a Slytherin. But regarding the fact that women are largely shut out of all other forms of media, I want a lot more for The Odyssey.
This article is not an out-lash against The Odyssey or it's writers, or a demand that silly content not be published. It's a call for an increase of better, smarter, more responsible and relevant journalism. To the readers: Let's give The Odyssey some credit for being what it is, an open platform for young and mostly female writers, and respect it as we would any news/content-model. It has great potential, and there are some brilliant, undiscovered writers already out there. Writers of The Odyssey: don't give people like me a reason to not take you seriously. Especially you, female writers. We deserve more than Open Letters to Easy Mac, more than collections of the inside jokes of Kappa Deltas. We have voices and opinions, and as much right to be taken seriously as any 30 year old male Huffington Post writer. We have serious stories to tell, and serious insight to give.
It's hard to come up with ideas and crank out an article a week. But there are so many issues that need to be written about.
Let's not make it all about Easy Mac.
