Dose

I read Dose today.

I find myself really disinclined to read it, because I feel like they're trying really hard to market to some fictional impression of who they think I am based on my demographics. Being marketed to based on my demographics (rather than based on the benefits of the product or service in question) frankly makes me feel dirty, and being treated like who I "should" be because of my demographics rather than who I am as an individual infuriates me. Also, I'm not too fond of the media conglomerate behind this publication, mostly because of the editorial stances of other media outlets owned by said conglomerate. Most everyone I know of this target demographic is not too fond of the editorial stance of this media conglomerate, and I feel like they're insulting my intelligence by treating me like I don't think editorial stance matters because they are Targeting My Demographic.

However, I felt it would be judgemental to rule it out unread, and there was a copy sitting on the kitchen table at work, so I had a look. My reviews are mixed. I liked their coverage of the Pope (they mentioned that he typically had a latte for breakfast, and sometimes cookies, which is interesting to me), but my reaction to the rest of the paper ranged from indifferently scanning the headlines to "Ew, they're trying too hard." I found that I was only reading about a third as many articles, percentage-wise, as when I read the Star or the G&M.

I also found the articles I did read didn't always contain all the information I wanted. For example, there was a poll saying that a significant number (I forget the number) of teens thought that there was a lower risk of STI transmission with oral sex than with vaginal sex. However, the article a) never specified what kinds of oral sex and whether they meant giving or receiving, b) never said what the risk actually was, and c) never said which activities are lowest risk. It was simply repeating what percentage of teens thought what, with the tacit implication that They Are All Wrong Because They're Teenagers, without providing me with any actual facts.

Overall, I wouldn't read Dose for news because I have two broadsheets on my kitchen table at home and CBC Newsworld available on my television, not to mention the entire internet. I might read it to keep me amused during my commute, except that I always carry a book with me. It's better than 24, but I still prefer Metro because it isn't freaking out with trying to market to me. Dose wasn't filling any gap that I could perceive, and if it vanished off the face of the earth I wouldn't even notice.