Church urged to counter fake news through social media

By Felix Anthony

Guwahati: A top Catholic official wants the Church to increase its involvement in social media to counter the menace of fake and baked news in the country.

“There has been a visible absence of Church in Social Communication,” noted Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas, secretary general of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, told a two-day workshop in Guwahati, Assam.

According to him, the Church’s poor presence in social communication has led to its voices going unheard in society. “People with vested interests take advantage of the situation to portray us in negative light,” Bishop Mascarenhas told the opening of the March 19-20 workshop.

Around 20 delegates from across northeastern India attended the workshop that addressed the topic, “The Effective Use of Social Media.”

Bishop Mascarenhas noted northeastern India as “a very important region” where the Church’s effective use of social media could help protect Christians, besides promoting secular values and the unique identity of the people of this region.

The CBCI conducted the workshop for the directors of Social Communication in the region.

Kushal Neogy, Sub-regional Director Partnership for Catholic Relief Services for South Asia, highlighted existing challenges of social communication. “We need to be more active and up-to-date on our social communication as Church body to be more visible and help our voice heard,” he said.

Salesian Sister Eugenia told Matters India that she found the workshop “a good start to counter fake news and to make our voices heard through social media.”