The column that has fun with the smaller mistakes and missteps of Australia’s mainstream mediocre; that pays homage to those sweet little fishes that individually don’t amount to a full meal but collectively can cause a tummy upset over the overall state of the once great and noble craft of journalism in this country.

WARNING: Not just First Nations people but all Australians are advised that the following article contains vision of a man’s arse that has not been pixilated.

So, just how prudish are Nine News viewers?

The Bug’s Mediocre Bytes is forced to ask this question after Nine’s 6pm bulletin out of Brisbane and Sydney (and most likely others!) last night (Monday) spared its viewers the full view of three-time Olympian equestrian Shane Rose sporting just a mankini at a fancy-dress charity equestrian event.

You heard right, readers! A fancy-dress charity event in the Southern Highlands. Who wouldn’t horse around a bit at something like that?

And why was Rose’s arse given the bum’s rush by prudish Nine News? Because the program’s producers apparently considered it important that viewers’ sensitive eyes be spared the sight of his middle-aged arse as it bobbled around on horseback.

Really, Channel Nine? Were you protecting youngsters who were taking in the bulletin? No youngsters watch Channel Nine news or any other TV news bulletin for that matter. Young adults don’t watch 6pm news bulletins. Your Brisbane demography is old folk easily scared into being convinced nightly that youth-crime rate continues to spiral out of control. By the way, they’ve also seen their fair share of bare arses over the journey.

So, how did the ABC’s 7pm bulletin last night handle the same or similar images. Rose was shown in all his bare-backside glory.

And why not? Even with a string attached, there was no risk whatsoever that Rose’s equivalent of female pink bits would be flashed across the screen.

One final point. Nine News Brisbane just recently had no problem whatsoever showing young women’s bare arses when covering a story about some wowser who thought string bikinis should be restricted to beaches down on the Gold Coast.

That was okay but Rose’s bare arse was not? Really, Nine News?

Send us an explanation as to why closeups of young female tushes were not offensive to your viewers regardless of their age but a middle-aged man’s was and we’ll upload it here.

FOOTNOTE: As we’ve explained many times, The Bug‘s two media columns – Mediocre Bytes and its more serious sibling Media Glass House – strive at all times to be fair. We accept there’s a small possibility Nine News received the footage it showed already pixilated but that’s not our best guess.

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