Journalism: Let’s Talk About Sex!
If there is any profession that gives its practitioners the leeway to work in sundry areas of life, finding and presenting information, it is unarguably the journalism profession. The reason for being everywhere cannot be farfetched as they are educated and trained to present information gathered from different areas of human endeavor as news to the audiences of newspapers, magazines, radio or television stations, and most recently the Internet. It is for this reason that most Journalists are seen by some of their critics as politicians that are not partisan, footballers that have never kicked the round leather, doctors that have never diagnosed or treated a patient, lawyer that has never represented anyone in court, accountant that knows nothing about credit and debit side of a financial transaction, and so on and so forth.
Within different media platforms, there are specialist tasks for journalists. In large organizations, the journalists may specialize in only one task. In small organizations, each journalist may have to do many different tasks. It is little wonder that in the newsroom, it is not odd to find some colleagues that possesses first degree in Accountancy, Law, Pharmacy, Medicine, and Estate Management, among other noble professions. You may be wondering over how such people became Journalist. The answer to your wonderment cannot be farfetched as some, after graduation, went for post-graduate studies in communication-oriented courses, and while others entered the profession from entry point as Cub Reporters, and learnt the rope over the years.
At this juncture, it would not be absurd for anyone to ask, “Why is it that the media talk less about sex?” The answer is that it is not only about sex. Even the media talk less about witchcraft.
Without any scintilla of hyperbole, sex is seen by many as a societal taboo. However, to this writer, that perception should not exist as we all know what sex is. We hear about it and see it all day through film, music, and movies. Most of us desire it, yet it seems as though we tend to focus on the act itself rather than the underlying issues within sex that need to be addressed.
In the Christendom for instance, Christians and the church tend to shy away from talking about sex. God and sex are rarely mentioned in the same sentence, and yet people still have a deep need for spirituality, to experience God in their lives and to seek guidance on sexual matters. It becomes a dilemma when the question is posed: where do sexuality and spirituality meet?
One way to answer this question is to attempt to find a link between spirituality and sexuality. In this way, spirituality could gain relevance, and expressing one's sexuality could find a moral foundation. People are both spiritual and sexual creatures, with the need to express their spirituality and sexuality in a moral, but unashamedly natural way.
Be that as it may, this article attempts to stress the importance of reporting issues that border on sex as the media can be an efficient resource for bridging the gap in information and knowledge that exists in the sexual facet of life.
Despite the fact that the topic falls within health journalism it is often hypocritically and sanctimoniously avoided in news reportage. At this juncture, one would be compelled to ask, “Are Journalists no longer mandated to educate, inform and entertain the people?”
For the sake of clarity, health education can be defined as the promotion of health and the prevention of disease through a planned combination of activities developed for a target population; notwithstanding whether it bothers on sex. As such, the media is expected to offer great potential for educating the public about health issues. The need for this advocacy or rather agenda setting is that daily health news featured on television or radio programs, weekly question and answer columns in magazines, or an investigative article in a newspaper, can offer solutions to the public has about sexual health issues.
Against the backdrop of the foregoing, it is germane to opine that due to wide information gap that exists as a result of less talk about sex in contemporary journalism that not many people know that Premature Ejaculation (PE) has natural treatments and home remedies that cut across intake of Zinc supplements. For the sake of clarity, Zinc not only supports healthy immunity and cell growth, the essential mineral also helps produce testosterone as well as boost the libido and energy. Research has found a link between zinc deficiency and sexual dysfunction in men, so taking 11 milligrams of zinc per day, the recommended amount, may improve ejaculation time.
Other techniques, which cannot be discussed in detail in this context cut across Pause-squeeze technique, Stop-start technique, Pelvic floor exercises and ‘Climax control’ condoms and Masturbation.
For the sake of clarity, masturbating an hour or two before having sexual activity may help delay ejaculation during penetration. This sexual release should reduce the need to climax quickly. Also is that of avoiding sex for a period of time. This may seem impracticable and diametrically opposed widely held sensibleness, but focusing on other types of sexual activity instead of intercourse may help take the pressure off from sexual encounters. Penetration is not the only way to reach sexual satisfaction, so think about other ways you and your partner can feel pleasure that would not cause either of you distress or frustration.
For those who may in this context purge their mindset from hypocrisy, sanctimony, premature ejaculation is a completely normal and common type of sexual complaint that affects a huge percent of the men population in the country. It is salient to opine in this context that any of these natural treatments can help manage the symptoms if they were regularly been reported by Journalists. But what is our society’s objection to issues that border on sex? Is it because it is been deemed as some sort of sacred secret or is it because it is been repressed in our conversations throughout our entire lives?
In a similar vein, there is a predominant challenge in the form of sexual Erectile Dysfunction (ED). For the sake of clarity, ED is when a man cannot get or keep an erection sufficient for a satisfying sex life. That might include erections that do not last as long as he wants or are not as firm as he would like.
Although ED can be distressing, and very common being the most common sexual dysfunction that is prevalent among young men, and which, they experience at some point in their lives, but the sufferers have remained in the quagmire as it is an issue that is not openly discussed.
At this juncture, it is expedient to say that in as much as health communication necessarily promotes health information usually through public health campaigns, health education that the areas that border on sex is hypocritically and sanctimoniously avoided, particularly in Journalism.
The worry against the foregoing backdrop is that while humans are capable, and often do, have an indication of sexual instincts and an idea of sex by the age of six. So, why don’t we have comfortable conversations and discussions about the topic?
Sex should not be a secretive thing that anyone should learn when he or she is old enough to understand. It is not a hard concept and if there was proper education on the topic there would not be such a stigma surrounding healthy conversations about sex.
Why don’t we give our children real answers about sex without lying to them? Why do we have to speak in hushed tones while talking about it with our friends? Why does bringing up sex discussions to public domain cause people to tense up?
While taboos are often used to suppress instincts, cultural and societal oddities, among other inanities that are deeply couched in the heart of hypocrisy and sanctimony, this taboo about sex seems to only make it grow larger. The more secretive we are about it, the grander it becomes in our heads.
Oftentimes I hear colleagues having hushed conversations about serious issues in sex. To my view, these topics should have been openly discussed in the newsroom without doing that in hushed tones.
Against the foregoing backdrop, it is little wonder that because many are not having “the talk” or any talk about sex or sexual health that humanity, particularly in this part of the world, faced with diverse health issues that border on sex.
To the view of this writer, we do not see conversations or reportage about sex happening. We are not talking about it because everyone wants to be seen as the “Holy Man”. It is imperative for young people to be able to communicate about sex, especially within this day and age. Sex, sexual health and the various aspects of the sexual spectrum need to be talked about openly, particularly in Journalism.
If we have healthy open conversations about issues that border on sex, maybe our society will mirror these conversations. Perhaps we will evolve and disregard the stigmas of promiscuity and virginity, and finally inform and enlighten the people about what to do in diverse form of sexual issues that they are facing.
I understand there are people who are not comfortable with this opinion, I believe the overall sexual health of the general public needs to be brought up on media space on daily basis for sufferers to always tap into salient information inherent therein as they seek for solution.