The Sun newspaper has been on an interesting journey in recent years, ditching its page three girls, drawing up a diversity style guide and launching its ‘Green Team: Road to COP26’ coverage replete with eco badges for staff. Last week, the once freedom loving Sun even declared itself comfortable with the idea of vaccine passports in pubs. Now the paper has toxic masculinity in its sights.

Hacks across the Murdoch titles in London Bridge have been invited to a News UK debate tomorrow ‘how we unpick the toxicity of sexually aggressive male behaviour and redefine masculinity to support women’s rights and freedoms.’

Titled: ‘HUDDLE: Redefining Masculinity – News UK Panel Discussion’ the event has been ‘added to all colleagues’ diaries’ and will feature Hana Carter from the Sun and Rebecca Myers from the Sunday Times leading a debate on the issue. Others joining them will be talkSPORT presenter Hugh Woozencroft, Robert Crampton of the Times and Rod McPhee from the Sun.

The email notes how: ‘The aftermath of the murder of Sarah Everard saw an incredible expression of women’s shared experience of the normalisation of sexual aggression towards them in their day-to-day-lives’ with tomorrow’s event building on a previous ‘conversation across News UK about these fundamental problems two weeks ago in our women’s safety, men’s responsibility discussion hosted by the Sunday Times editor, Emma Tucker.’ Happily, any hacks unable to make the event will be able to catch-up via ‘a recording will be available via the intranet’.

For those old school hacks unfamiliar with such concepts, helpfully the Sun Online is on hand with advice:

Toxic masculinity refers to the stereotypical masculine gender roles that restrict the range of emotions that boys and men can express. It includes how they are able to interact in social situations by feeling pressured to be the dominant ‘alpha male’.

Where better place to change this culture than on the floor of a newsroom?