Signs of real progress with ‘the media’

One frustrating part about having the DNA of a journalist is that I’m a Catholic. And one maddening aspect of being a Catholic is my nearly 40 years as a media professional and journalism professor. I’m completely dedicated to both journalism and the Church, and that often puts me in a very difficult position between two critical and necessary endeavors that all-to-often clash.

This head-butting is ironic because both, in essence, have the same goal. Both pursue truth and justice – journalism in this life and the Church both here and in the next. That’s why both are so attractive to me, and why I often defend one to the other.

Because I straddle the line between the two, I was especially attracted to a panel on the media at the US Conference of Bishops Convocation of Catholic Leaders. The title of the panel, “The Landscape of Popular Culture, Media, and News in the United States,” showed great promise. Most people lump all contemporary communication under the umbrella term of “the media.”  The title itself acknowledged that these three branches of the communication process are far from uniform. By the end of the session, I was heartened and optimistic for the future.

When engaging any form of media, panelists seemed
to agree on the importance of presenting a realistic
vision of the Church – neither gloom and doom nor
idealized perfection.

Let’s address the obvious first. There is no reconciling popular culture and the Church. Nor should there be. In general, 21^st century pop culture portrays views of critical social concerns – such as consumerism, materialism, life issues, sexuality, marriage and family issues – that are in direct conflict with Catholic moral teaching. Our role as the Church is, and always has been, to serve as conscience and counterbalance. We are “in” this world, not “of” this world. As one convocation participant stated, “We have always been in conflict with the dominant culture.”

Discussion of “the media” gravitated toward new digital media. The group condemned, of course, the pervasiveness of social media, immersion in smartphones and other devices, and the easy availability of immoral material such as abuses of human dignity, violence, and pornography. Younger participants, however, noted the distinction between the message and the delivery system. New media is here to stay and will only expand, they said, and we should learn how to use these new tools to our best advantage by investing in message quality.

Finally, the news media attracted the usual criticisms of bias, sensationalism, inaccuracy, and lack of understanding of the Church. To be sure, these criticisms are not completely without justification. There are, however, ways to address these issues.

The first is a better understanding of the mission of the news media. News is defined by change, by anomalies. As one veteran local television anchor once explained, “We don’t report on planes that didn’t crash or banks that weren’t robbed.” So when negative Church issues such as abuse, financial irregularities and declining population arise, expect the news to report it. But these unfortunate occurrences also provide opportunities the Church can use to its advantage. And it’s by using the same technique that is our best practice for evangelization – personal encounters.

The news business, much like the “Church business,” is relationship-based. The best way to ensure an accurate interpretation of the Church in the news media is to nurture ongoing relationships with local journalists. At least one diocese seems to be doing a good job of this.

In a small group discussion during the panel, Fr. Sean Fleming said his diocese of Buffalo, New York, has two former local newspeople in its communications office. Part of their job is to develop and maintain ties with local news organizations so they can be credible sources of information when bad things happen. They can also pitch positive stories to the media that inform the public about the good things that are happening in the diocese. This helps promote a fair and accurate public image of the Church in the Buffalo area.

There will always be tension between the Church and our many different forms of media. There should be. But the primary goal is to nurture understanding and respect, especially on the local level. And with the Church going in that direction, it will see great fruit.