Here’s Another Reason to Distrust Corporate News Media (As If You Needed More)

Just now, scrolling through my social media feed, I saw a headline in Variety explaining that Warner Brothers Discovery, the parent company behind the streaming app Max — formerly known as HBO Max — is reversing a recent decision in how credits are displayed.

This is how the headline reads:

Max Will Change Film Credit Listings to Break Out Directors and Writers After Backlash Over ‘Creators’ Heading

This headline is, as they say, problematic.

But in order to explain why, I need to explain a few things, and also offer a few disclaimers so you know who I am and why this matters to me.

First, I am a writer. (Duh, that’s how you’re reading this. I wrote it.)

I’m mostly a faith-based writer. Currently I write full-time for the Evangelical Covenant Church. Most of the things I write about connect to some aspect of the Christian faith, and its connections to various elements of politics and popular culture — including sports, video games, television and feature films. I dabbled a bit in screenwriting in college and do some stand-up comedy on the side, but that’s the closest I come to being even remotely employed in the…