Usage Note: Media was originally the plural of medium, though it has come to be used as a collective term for the press, entertainment industry, and other channels of mass communication. Whether to use a singular or plural verb with media depends on the intended meaning. If the point is to emphasize the multifaceted nature of the press, a plural verb is appropriate: The media have covered the trial in a variety of formats. When it refers to the entire aggregate, a singular verb is often used: The media has not shown much interest in covering the trial. Nonetheless, the Usage Panel has a decided preference for the plural use even with the aggregate sense, with 95 percent in 2017 accepting The media have covered the trial in a variety of formats and only 59 percent accepting the sentence The media has not shown much interest in covering the trial. Clearly, many people still perceive media as a plural, and it will be some time before the singular analysis crowds out the plural in the manner of similar Latin plurals such as agenda and candelabra. · The singular media is sometimes used to refer to a specific means of communication, but many writers frown on this usage: In our 2017 survey, 79 percent of the Usage Panel rejected the sentence The internet is the most exciting new media since television. In such a sentence, medium is the better option. But though medium is entirely standard when referring to a generic means of communication, such as print or television, it is somewhat nonstandard when referring to the particular institutions employing such a means, such as newspapers or television networks: while 62 percent of the Usage Panel accepted the sentence No medium has shown much interest in covering the trial in our 2017 ballot, several of the Panelists commented that although they accepted the sentence, they nonetheless found it “weird” or “strange.”