Pope asks journalists to become protagonists of truth

Pope Benedict XVI called yesterday on media practitioners worldwide to become "protagonists of truth who promote peace."

Speaking at the 40th Word Communication Day, Pope Benedict attributed some "distortions" in society to media which he said have become "self-serving or solely profit-driven without sense of accountability to the common good."

"While the various instruments of social communication facilitate the exchange of information, ideas, and mutual understanding among groups, they are also tainted by ambiguity," he said.

"Alongside the provision of a ‘great round table’ for dialogue, certain tendencies within the media engender a kind of monoculture that dims creative genius, deflates the subtlety of complex thought and undervalues the specificity of cultural practices and the particularity of religious belief," Benedict said.

The Pope reiterated the Vatican’s decree on the Means of Social Communication, which in particular recognized the need to harness that power of the media to influence people for the benefit of all mankind.

He said the media practitioners could contribute to the attainment of truth and common good through "principled courage and resolve, and a determination not to wilt under the weight of so much information nor even to be content with partial or provisional truths."

The Pope said responsible media people should always practice "accurate reporting of events, full explanation of matters of public concern, and fair representation of diverse points of view must, then, always be fostered."

"The need to uphold and support marriage and family life is of particular importance, precisely because it pertains to the foundation of every culture and society," he said.

"In cooperation with parents, the social communications and entertainment industries can assist in the difficult but sublimely satisfying vocation of bringing up children, through presenting edifying models of human life and love."

The Pope reiterated three important points suggested by his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, on how the media could attain "constructive presence and positive perception:"

• Media practitioners "must overcome any temptation to manipulate, especially the young, and instead pursue the desire to form and serve. In this way they protect rather than erode the fabric of a civil society worthy of the human person."

• "Participation in the mass media arises from their nature as a good destined for all people. As a public service, social communication requires a spirit of cooperation and co-responsibility with vigorous accountability of the use of public resources and the performance of roles of public trust, including recourse to regulatory standards and other measures or structures designed to effect this goal."

• "The promotion of dialogue through the exchange of learning, expression of solidarity and the espousal of peace presents a great opportunity for the mass media which must be recognized and exercised. In this way they become influential and appreciated resources for building the civilization of love for which all peoples yearn."

The Pope called on media people to work together and "break down the dividing walls of hostility and build up the communion of love according to the designs of the Creator made known through his Son."

Excerpts from the Pope’s message were read in Masses all over the country yesterday.

Some bishops opted to write their own messages for the celebration of World Communication Day in their dioceses.