OP-ED

For Anyone Who’s Thinking About Writing for NewsBreak

Welcome to the Fourth (Reich) Estate

The following is not an aimless rant, but my observation of a writers’ platform that I believe is dangerously backward in its attempt to suppress us, censor us, and squash those qualities that make each of us, unique.

If having your every original thought crapped on and turned into something palatable for the masses turns you on, allow me to introduce you to the Thought Police at NewsBreak.

I’ll start by saying that NewsBreak isn’t worth the last squirt from your last crap but this latest piece of Nazi-Esque bullshit has to be shared with those of you who are currently writing for, or more importantly, considering writing for these jerks.

I’ve been very vocal about my distaste for the platform, which will change its algorithm, content criteria, and the like, at the drop of a goose turd in order to screw writers from being compensated for their hard work.

Sure, it was all gumdrops and cotton candy in the beginning when those of us who were allowed in at the right time received a set payment every month for living up to whatever the fuck standards they enforced, then.

We had to write a set amount of stories and gain a certain number of followers, shite like that, in order to make the dough. I can’t remember all the particulars but, since we were allowed to repurpose our Medium stories, that was easy money, especially when you’re not making any money.

At the least, I made a couple of grand and, to say that it was “refreshing” is the understatement of all time as my Medium earnings don’t come anywhere near. That said, I am ever hopeful because:

“Ev Williams, I am certain that, at some point, when you’re drinking your bulletproof coffee or whatever the hell gets you going in the morning, my worth will hit you like an errant comet.”

And here’s the thing about Medium, folks. We can write whatever the hell we want. To me, someone who has strong opinions about a lot of shit, that’s a gift. That said, I wouldn’t mind a more tangible gift in the form of something I could exchange at the grocery store for you know, like, food.

In the honeymoon phase, when I first began writing for the NB Gestapo, I appreciated the relative ease in merely copying and pasting my Medium stories. (Minus any unfortunate cuss words.) And then came the big shift. NewsBreak writers were to write about local news, only.

WTF? Local news?

Now, for me, my friends, this was akin to bashing me upside the head with a ball-peen hammer and putting me into a creative coma.

First off, there isn’t much local news to talk about in my Chicago suburb. Not the stuff to incite fascinating discourse, anyway. Also, we have newspapers for that, here, boys and girls! Local newspapers that actually print whatever shit goes down around here. Just as you probably have!

So, in essence, NewsBreak wants us to repurpose whatever crap we read and/or hear elsewhere. So their inbred readership can vomit up the most unconscionable vitriol in the comments section of our stories.

Too, and this is what killed it for me: The absolutely vanilla, don’t-offend-anyone-with-naughty-words criteria laid down by this suspect bunch.

Now, I get that. To a point. You’re not going to see the word “fuck” in a New York Times headline anytime soon unless I’ve missed something. Their Sunday edition, which we have delivered, is a tad more relaxed, (The Style Section, etc.) so perhaps I’ve missed an F-bomb here and there.

But, NewsBreak! Damn. Talk about hellfire and brimstone. I don’t know what century their staff is operating in, but it ain’t the here and now.

Herr NewsBreak rejected more of my stories than I can count. And those that did make the cut, had to be scrupulously cleansed of any bad words or negative thoughts or anything that elevated the story to a level that I didn’t find embarrassing, at best. I’m surprised they didn’t send an exorcist my way.

And some of the crap I wrote did embarrass me. I squirted out a couple of lame reviews for pizza joints in our neighborhood and sharted some other piece of twaddle about exotic fruits at our local Fresh Market. Yes, these turds were published. And I penned them strictly for the cash.

Until I couldn’t do it anymore. I’m not Lois Lane, nor do I want to be. What’s more, breaking bad, in the form of writing bad shit, doesn’t make me feel good about myself, you know?

And then, the other day, out of sheer boredom, I logged into my NewsBreak account and copied and pasted a couple of my Medium stories. Throughout the day, I checked in several times to see that the “under review” message was still in place, signifying that the stories would probably be rejected.

Both stories had a “title change recommended” flag. Unfucking real. It turns out, Herr NewsBreak published one of the pair, the more innocuous of the two, and not only rejected the other but used it as a “strike” against me.

This is what I received from the local news stormtroopers:

Your content titled The Latest News On Booze Isn’t Good has been flagged for violating our content policy, specifically Intellectual property and privacy. This violation counts as your first strike according to our strike policy. If you think this strike was issued in error, you may appeal by clicking on the button below. The appeal process may take at least 3 days.

A second policy violation will result in account suspension and you will not be able to publish or edit any articles for one week.

Best, NewsBreak Contributor Network Team

So, I’m guessing three strikes and I’m out. Oh, woe is me. Locked out of Herr NewsBreak. Of course, I’m allowed to “appeal.” But, why the hell would I do that when going forward, I’m just going to get more of the same? Again, this was a recent Medium story of which I tweaked the title just a bit, removed some F-bombs, and left the remainder as originally written.

Earlier, I mentioned NewsBreak’s readership. If, aside from what I just laid out, you still want to give the Fourth (Reich) Estate a shot, avoid reading any comments left on your stories because you will want to kill people. Or if you’re the sensitive sort, slit your own throat.

I can’t overstate the above. Readers (and that’s a stretch) will shit all over you and much of the deluge will have absolutely nothing to do with what you wrote. I was called an “ugly old hag,” a “ho” and other such refined monikers. And let us not forget the ubiquitous “libtard.” One of my personal favorites.

The NewsBreak readership is ignorant, racist, ageist, and hateful to a level of which I’ve never experienced. You’ve been warned.

One thing I must stress. I don’t want to offend the many wonderful people here who currently write for NewsBreak. Hey, if you’re making it work, more power to you.

Conversely, for those of you who’ve gotten the hell out of the NB bunker because the air became too stale to endure, good for you.

That’s one person’s opinion. And at least I’m free to express it, here.

And, if you don’t believe me, just Google “NewsBreak sucks.”

If you can handle it, read every one of my stories and those of other fab Medium writers. I’ll get a couple of shekels and you’ll have full access to this whole joint! https://sherrymcguinn.medium.com/membership

Sherry McGuinn is a slightly-twisted, longtime Chicago-area writer and award-winning screenwriter. She is currently pitching her newest screenplay, “The Month We Fell Apart,” a drama with dark, comedic overtones and inspired by a true story, as well as “DEAD TIRED,” a female-driven, ass-kicking thriller.

Thanks for reading, guys. If you enjoyed this, I’d love for you to check out the following, as well as my newsletter, Sherry Raw.