Communications Media: Harnessing its power on behalf of the common good
Most Reverend Joseph A. Galante, D.D., J.C.D.,
Bishop of Camden
Media Day for Journalists and Communications Professionals
June 21, 2006
Crowne Plaza Hotel, Cherry Hill
Enormous potential. That’s how Pope Benedict XVI, in his message on the 40th anniversary of World Communications Day last month, described the power of the media to influence human society and to serve the common good. He said, “Authentic communication demands principled courage and resolve.” He also said it requires a determination of those working in the media to be “protagonists” of the truth.
&This idea of courage in search of the truth was wonderfully dramatized in the Oscar-nominated film Good Night, and Good Luck, which I caught recently on DVD. It’s a great period piece, shot in black and white, awash in cigarette smoke, but it still has great relevance today. Wonderfully recreating the early days of network news, the film tells of the courageous and ultimately successful efforts of CBS reporter Edward R. Murrow and producer Fred Friendly to expose and undo Senator Joseph McCarthy, whose fear-driven anti-Communist hearings in the early-to-mid 1950s ruined lives and careers.
&The movie is book-ended by scenes depicting Murrow’s 1958 address to the Radio-Television News Directors Association. Saying he was “seized by an abiding fear regarding what [the instruments of radio and television] are doing to our society, our culture and our heritage,” he claimed broadcasters were insulating citizens from the realities around them. He said broadcasters feared controversy, and their news divisions caved into corporate interests and the need to satisfy advertisers and corporate profits.
He the challenged professional communicators of his day by asking, “Do we merely stay in our comfortable nests, concluding that the obligation of these instruments has been discharged when we work at the job of informing the public for a minimum of time? Or do we believe the preservation of the Republic is a seven-day-a-week job, demanding more awareness, better skills and more perseverance than we have yet contemplated.”Pope John Paul II picked up on this same theme in his final apostolic letter, The Rapid Development (of Technology), saying that the communications media are “pathways providentially given by God” for our use to further the common good. God has entrusted to us the great gift of the communications media, not to be buried or left to others, but to be nurtured, to be used faithfully, and to grown responsibly for His glory and for the good of humanity. Regarding our use of God’s gift of the communications media, will He say of us, as the Master said in the Gospel parable, “Well, done, my good and faithful servant”? (Mt 25:21)
&I do often marvel at the wonderful developments in modern communication technology. Without a doubt, these gifts have made communication immediate and accessible, anytime and anywhere. The Internet, email and cell phones, digital audio and video, the ubiquitous iPOD and BlackBerry—not to mention satellite, cable and broadcast radio and television—have all connected people as never before, across oceans and cultural divides.
&And yet, for me, this marvel is coupled with a certain uneasiness. I wonder sometimes whether these new technologies have brought us closer together or accomplished something else. Even as great segments of society are now linked together via a digital network, I, for one, sense a growing loss of connectedness, an increasing isolation of people, of individuals from their families, of families from their communities, even communities from the world around them, seemingly cocooned in a media-driven world.
This media-driven world—which is increasingly owned and overseen by the powerful few—too often exaggerates differences, exploits conflict, and degrades human dignity in the name of profit. Easy access to Internet and email has made young people—and even adults—vulnerable right in their own homes. &
Of course, new technologies have saved us time, made our work easier in many ways, and enhanced the flow of data, news, entertainment and information. Still, this technology has also in a certain sense invaded our space and time, so much so that we can feel bombarded by constant media stimulation, distracted by the intrusions on our time, and overwhelmed by the sheer volume and quantity of information that comes our way. Just while I’ve been speaking, you’ve each received another 30 emails at your offices. Half of it spam. Meanwhile, the good of technology has bypassed the most disadvantaged among us, the poor, the marginalized. The phrase, the “great digital divide,” tells us something about the missed opportunities for the modern media to unite people. Communication must be marked by “communio” and reciprocity: Communication is inherently relational. It cannot be one-sided (whether through ownership or other means), but must be able to be used and shared by everyone. In doing so, it must also help to unite humanity and to improve understanding.
&There is a duality here: media have rights and duties. The use of media must be marked by freedom and responsibility. Freedom, of course, gives latitude for artistic expression and the creative. This creative impulse is from God, who Himself creates. But freedom, as we know, does not mean simply to do as one pleases. Rather, we are truly free when our acts are directed toward God. The media must be free, then, to the extent that its use draws men and women to the highest truths, while promoting justice and unity among God’s people. And yet, despite natural concerns about the media, I am optimistic and hopeful about the good that can be accomplished through the media for the Church and for the world.
In the last year alone, there were countless examples of courageous and powerful news coverage, including the extensive coverage of the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which exposed the inadequacy of the initial response and reminded the public of the sometimes hidden, but great gap between rich and poor in this nation. Often at great personal risk to reporters and camera crews, news organizations have given the public an up-close look at the Iraq war, with its times of progress, but also its setbacks and bloody violence, providing a balance to official accounts emanating out of Washington. They’ve exposed the corruption of lobbyists, and even local school districts. Their coverage of the Church’s own failures has resulted in comprehensive and necessary reforms.
Really, I am constantly encouraged by the quality of the news coverage and the skill of journalists who serve the Philadelphia market. The recent “Crossroads” series in the Philadelphia Inquirer is one such example.
Over five consecutive days, the series, by David O’Reilly and those who collaborated with him, explored the state of the Catholic Church in the Philadelphia area and around the world. It was thought-provoking, well-researched, in-depth, and fair, not at all minimizing the challenges facing the Church in today’s society. And the print editions were augmented with web-exclusive content, streaming video and audio. The series informed and challenged readers and, in my view, provided a great service to the people of the region.The reporting of religion by the area media is serious and thought-provoking, while the success of talk radio allows issues to be explored in depth beyond the typical sound-bite and provide a forum for callers to weigh in on important issues of the day. Meanwhile, our keynote speaker, Amy Welborn, has used a successful weblog to create an informed community of Internet users with up to date information and co
mmentary about the Church, Catholic culture and the lived experience of the faith. Indeed, as far as the Church is concerned, I am optimistic that we can through the modern media—including through a vibrant diocesan press—achieve a more intense and penetrating proclamation of the Gospel and of the truths that save. We can expand the boundaries of our outreach, to communicate the beauty of the Faith in new and compelling ways that resonate with the people of today, in particular our youth. Indeed, I have said many times that our young people are not the “future of the Church.” They are the Church of today, and if we are to reach them, we must find ways of making the truths of the faith intelligible to them using the electronic media that they have so enthusiastically embraced. Likewise, we must find ways to reach increasingly diverse populations, many of whom are the very ones who have been denied access to the technology that others enjoy.
With this in mind, it is worth asking ourselves these questions:
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- Do we allow modern technology to crowd out or impede communion with God and with one another?
- Do we shrug our shoulders at content that is morally objectionable or which undermines religious faith?
- Do we just hope for the best, comforted by an unfounded optimism that those who control media someday will come to their senses? Or, do we get off the sidelines and insist that the media be held accountable for the content they deliver?
- Do we make the commitment to persuade the media to place new technological developments at the service of the common good? Edward R. Murrow said of the television media of his time, “This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can only do so to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box.”
Let us then make a concerted effort to ensure that the means of communication are put to [use] “without delay and as energetically as possible.” (Inter Mirifica, 13). Let us “harness the power” of this new technology to challenge what Murrow called “ignorance, intolerance and indifference.” Let us use this new technology responsibly to serve the truth and the common good.
Thank you and God bless you