By Matters India Reporter

Chennai, Dec 13, 2022: The bounden duty of the media to become prophetic communicators was stressed at a national convention of journalists in Chennai, southern India.

“As the members of the Fourth Estate and proud citizens of India, we cannot afford to turn a blind eye to the unsavoury developments in the social, economic, political, technological and religious spheres,” asserted the 27th convention of Christian Journalists, hosted by the Indian Catholic Press Association (ICPA).

The convention was held during the association’s December 8-11 annual general body meeting.

The convention bemoaned the current trend of throttling dissent and free speech, stifling independent media outfits, toxic post-truth culture, planted news, proliferation of fake news, hate speech and poisonous rhetoric on social media.

The assembly of four dozen journalists, editors and media workers, who participated in the convention also noted that with corporate giants swallowing media houses and cosying up with fundamentalists and ultra-nationalists, authoritarianism is getting a free leash.

Central agencies become tools of the state to silence free speech and intimidate journalists and activists. This creates a fertile climate for slow aggression on federalism, language and civil rights,” the assembly noted.

Several media experts and jurists like Peter Alphonse, chairman of the Minorities Commission of Tamil Nadu; Sashi Kumar, chairman of Asian College of Journalism; and Justice K Chandru, retired judge of Madras High Court, offered critical insights into the dark clouds gathering over the mediascape and crippling it.

Archbishop George Antonysamy of Madras-Mylapore, inaugurated the conference. Bishops Henry D’Sousa, chairman of CBCI Commission for Social Communication, and Salvadore Lobo, who has been ICPA chaplain for a decade, offered vital inputs during the convention.

The conference called upon media professionals to: Oppose totalitarianism and fascism in the bud as it is a do-or-die situation; Desist from cronyism with the powers-that-be; Tell the truth come what may as the Gospel mandates us; Have transformative content in the news; Stand diligently for the truth at a time when the cartelization of the media is happening; Be prophetic voices of truth and justice in a “post-truth” culture; Put up a stiff existential fight to protect the Constitution.

The assembly urged media professionals to draw inspiration from Pope Francis who has said: “Journalism is not an easy mission. It is complicated to think, to meditate, to study more deeply, to stop and collect ideas and to study the contexts and precedents of a piece of news. The risk, as you well know, is to be overwhelmed by the news instead of being able to make sense of it. This is why, I encourage you to preserve and cultivate that sense of mission that is at the origin of your choice. And I will do so with three verbs that I believe characterize good journalism: listen, investigate and report.”

2 Comments

  1. These “recognized ” organizations have lost their cutting edge. Both charity and CLARITY begin at home. So instead of pontificating against the government please start by cleaning up the Aegean stables of the Catholic Church.

  2. At the ICPA Convention members and office bearers took the following resolution:
    – Nip both totalitarianism and fascism in the bud as it is a do-or-die situation
    (Who will face the lathi and bayonet – Our Cardinals, Bishops or the Laity?)
    – To desist from cronyism with the powers-that-be (the church practises it)
    – Tell the truth come what may as the Gospel mandates us
    – Have transformative content in the news
    – Diligently stand for the truth at a time when the cartelization of the media is happening
    – Be prophetic voices of truth and justice in a “post-truth” culture
    – Put up a stiff existential fight to protect the Constitution

    The convention also bemoaned the current trend of throttling dissent and free speech, stifling independent media outfits, toxic post-truth culture, planted news, proliferation of fake news, hate speech and poisonous rhetoric on social media.
    While the resolution is very appropriate in today’s political context. Most Media Houses suffer from the five Cs which are: Corporatization, Commercialisation, Co-option, Compromise, and Communalisation. The Church Media too does not allow dissent and free speech. It only publishes “pious” news like SCC, Recollection, Inauguration, Bishops’ conference, etc and does not publish real issues which directly affect and undermine the Laity. Even ICPA is given to government bashing and does not publish articles on issues on systemic corruption within the Church.
    A case in point is a recent statement issued by the Principal, St Xavier’s College Kolkata on the occasion of the feast day of its patron saint St. Francis Xavier. The statement praised the various attributes of the Saint (given within inverted commas). For example:
    • “The life of a simple, humble man but great in the eyes of God, can light a fire within us to emulate him and pass on this fire to others. The life of Francis Xavier is such.”
    Reality check: Though St Xavier’s College (SXC) and University (SXUK) profess to be Christian Minority Institutions founded primarily for the uplift of the Christian community, most students (90% plus) are from non-Christian well-to-do families. Christian students struggle hard to get admission. They are an abysmal minority in these institutions founded for them. So, how will the “fire” of St Francis Xavier be passed on to them? The life and attitude of the current powers that be are diametrically opposite to the ethos and life style of their patron saint. They are more attuned to the well-heeled Mittals and Bajorias. Christian parents are given a short shrift.

    • “St Francis Xavier aimed at serving especially the socio- economically disadvantaged ones. Thus he set example for our service to the poor and marginalised for Magis (more) and for the greater Glory of God.”
    Reality check: Is reduced admission to socio-economically disadvantaged Christian students, especially in high-priced Self-financed courses, serving the greater Glory of God? Is pushing them to go for admission elsewhere a service to the poor and marginalised? How does it help them achieve “Magis” (more and more) in life?

    • “St Francis Xavier believed in “Mixing with persons of various classes, races, languages, beliefs; understanding them and making them his own; serving God in them all.”
    Reality check: In the name of “mixing with all and serving God in them” SXC and SXUK have become elitist. They are giving quality education to 90-plus% students of other communities and producing leaders who with Jesuit education are misusing UAPA to sentence priests like Fr Stan to indefinite jail. By creating stiff entry barriers, SXC/SXUK are nipping in the bud Christian students who could become lawyers, judges, IAS/IPS officers, doctors and management gurus and be the empowered Voice of Minorities. Whom are we serving – Bajorias & Mittals or the simple folks for whose rights and empowerment Fr Stan fought till his last breath?

    If St Xavier’s (college & university) were to be a true follower of its Patron Saint, it needs to officially earmark seats (Supreme Court allows up to 50%) for Christian students. Scottish Church College Kolkata reserves 30% and St Stephen’s College Delhi 50% seats for Christian students. One proof of St Francis Xavier-like transparency would be to publish online stream-wise quota for Christian students vis-a-vis total seats available – Scottish Church does this. St Francis Xavier himself is asking: “Quo Vadis SXC?”

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