Vatican:In a message to be read on the 51st World Communications Day, Pope Francis will appeal to the media to end their role in the spread of bad news stories.
Addressing those working in media, the Pope said that we should resist the temptation to “grind out” only bad news stories – such as war, terrorism and scandals – because the bombardment of bad news creates a “growing discontent that can at times generate apathy”.
In the message, the Pope said avoiding the over-reporting of bad news “has nothing to do with spreading misinformation that would ignore the tragedy of human suffering,” and it also does not involve “a naive optimism blind to the scandal of evil.”
The Catholic pontiff said he would like to “contribute to the search for an open and creative style of communication that never seeks the glamourise evil but instead to concentrate on solutions and to inspire a positive and responsible approach on the part of its recipients. I ask everyone to offer the people of our time storylines that are at heart ‘good news’.”
The papal message for World Communications Day – which isn’t until May – is released every year on 24 January to coincide with the feast day of St Francis de Sales, the patron saint of journalists.