Another day, another study, another headline: AIDS experts: Unprotected sex OK for some. The story that follows the headline does not blame gay men for the continuing Writers Guild of America strike, or for the sensationalistic stories that will be airing in your local news during the February Sweeps, but simply cites a controversial Swiss stud that is blasted by the medical community. I am all for free speech, but it upsets me to see it, especially when new HIV infection rates are increasing in some segments of the population. Can they run it? Obviously. Is it irresponsible? I think so.

Unlike the recent mess correlating gay sex with MRSA, this story is less about bad reporting, but to me reflects the trend in online headlines and articles intended to get people to press the button and find out what’s on the other side at almost any cost. I stopped pressing "Britney" buttons months ago, and while it won’t make a difference at the macro-level, it makes me feel a little less filthy.

Part of me fears that by even bringing the below link to this site, I may be adding to both msnbc.com and Associated Press’ bottom line, but I think that it may be more important for gay men to read about it as may get used by anti-gay demagogues to prove how the mainstream press is run by powerful militant gay activists who want to promote all that is death or send wrong messages to the gay community, espeially during a time of crisis.

Since many of us complain about the type of irresponsible reporting that we're bombarded with, maybe we can fight back by thinking twice about the buttons that we press and/or use this forum to inform one another of overtly negative headlines/coverage or those following the thinly-veiled duplicity of gawker.com's latest business model.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22934058/