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Attack on the 'secular and humanistic' media

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Alan H
Posts: 24067
Joined: July 3rd, 2007, 10:26 pm

Attack on the 'secular and humanistic' media

#1 Post by Alan H » April 27th, 2008, 4:11 pm

Press release from the Scottish Catholic Media Office. Apparently, two-thirds of Scots are xtian, but the media are all secular or humanist!
********************************************************************************
Communications Sunday Pastoral Letter
http://scmo.org/articles/506/1/Communic ... Page1.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Communications Sunday Pastoral Letter

SCMO

5 St Vincent Place, Glasgow G1 2DH

T: 0141 221 1168
F: 0141 204 2458
E: [email protected]

In his message sent to all of Scotland's 500 parishes for the 42nd World Communications Day, Bishop Philip Tartaglia President of the National Communications Commission of the Bishops' Conference of Scotland claims "a fundamental disconnection between the provider and the consumer" has occurred in the media. The letter which will be read at all Masses on Sunday, 4 May 2008 suggests that "mass communications can fairly be charged with losing the ethical underpinning that once existed". Bishop Tartaglia points out, "While the last national census showed that over two thirds of Scots described themselves as Christians, few of those who work in radio, television and the press share this identity."

In response the letter endorses Pope Benedict's call for "info-ethics", just as we have bioethics in the field of medicine and scientific research, concluding "Analysing the ethical implications of how information is transmitted would help the media avoid becoming spokespersons for a secular and humanistic agenda. It is crucial that those who work in this field seek to understand the moral and ethical view of humanity shared by those of us who believe in God."

The full text of the letter is shown below.

ENDS

Peter Kearney
Director
Catholic Media Office
5 St. Vincent Place
Glasgow
G1 2DH
0141 221 1168
07968 122291
[email protected]
http://www.scmo.org


Note to Editors:

To coincide with World Communications day, the Scottish Catholic Media Office has created a new website. The new website can be viewed at http://www.scmo.org
This new website includes audio clips and video content, and includes a facility which allows anyone to subscribe to all media releases simply by entering their email address.


MESSAGE FOR THE 42nd WORLD COMMUNICATIONS DAY
Sunday, 4 May 2008

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The theme of this year's World Communications Day - "The Media: At the Crossroads between Self-Promotion and Service. Searching for the Truth in order to Share it with Others" - highlights the important role of the media in the life of individuals and society. As the Pope says in his message this year; “there is no area of human experience, especially given the vast phenomenon of globalization, in which the media have not become an integral part of interpersonal relations and of social, economic, political and religious development.”

The mass media today is pervasive, persuasive and all too often invasive.

Pope Benedict rightly acknowledges the contribution the media can make to the diffusion of news, to knowledge of facts and to the dissemination of information. At the same time the Pope warns that the mass media can be used for ideological purposes, and “can tend to legitimise or impose distorted models of personal, family or social life”. As Scottish Catholics, we know only too well how true this is, and we are keenly aware of how rarely our own media represents us as people of faith in a fair or balanced manner.

Today, mass communications can fairly be charged with losing the ethical underpinning that once existed. It is a sad reality that those involved in the production and dissemination of much of our media content do not themselves share the religious or moral perspectives of their audience. There has occurred a fundamental disconnection between the provider and the consumer. While the last national census showed that over two thirds of Scots described themselves as Christians, few of those who work in radio, television and the press share this identity.

How then can they understand what motivates and engages us? How can they provide us, their viewers, listeners and readers with appropriate content? The Pope suggests we need to introduce "info-ethics", just as we have bioethics in the field of medicine and scientific research.


Analysing the ethical implications of how information is transmitted would help the media avoid becoming spokespersons for a secular and humanistic agenda. It is crucial that those who work in this field seek to understand the moral and ethical view of humanity shared by those of us who believe in God.

We each have a responsibility to help them in this task. We are all consumers of the mass media and when we are misrepresented or maligned we must speak out. Likewise, when our values and ideals are respected and represented fairly, we must praise and commend.

Nationally this is exactly what our Catholic Media Office through imaginative and ongoing engagement with the media seeks to do. To this end, to coincide with World Communications day, the Scottish Catholic Media Office has created a new website. The new website can be viewed at http://www.scmo.org

I would urge you to visit this site. It will allow you to see first hand what the Church has said on a wide range of issues, in turn preventing you from being misled by partial or inaccurate media coverage. The new website includes audio clips and video content, and includes a facility which allows anyone to subscribe to all media releases simply by entering their email address. Again I would urge you to subscribe in this way to the output of our Media Office

While the information service provided by the Media Office is free at the point of use, it clearly has to be paid for. With this in mind I appeal to your great generosity in asking you to contribute to today’s special communications collection.

Finally, in the words of Pope John Paul II of happy memory: “Let us ask the Holy Spirit to raise up courageous communicators and authentic witnesses to the truth, faithful to Christ's mandate and enthusiastic for the message of the faith.”


Yours devotedly in Christ

Bishop Philip Tartaglia
President, National Communications Commission

[Captured: 27 April 2008 16:06:18]

###################
Alan Henness

There are three fundamental questions for anyone advocating Brexit:

1. What, precisely, are the significant and tangible benefits of leaving the EU?
2. What damage to the UK and its citizens is an acceptable price to pay for those benefits?
3. Which ruling of the ECJ is most persuasive of the need to leave its jurisdiction?

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Alan C.
Posts: 10356
Joined: July 4th, 2007, 3:35 pm

Re: Attack on the 'secular and humanistic' media

#2 Post by Alan C. » April 27th, 2008, 8:22 pm

Searching for the Truth in order to Share it with Others" -
And just when did the religious start searching for the truth? Lying for Jesus yet again.
With this in mind I appeal to your great generosity in asking you to contribute to today’s special communications collection.
Ah! the collection plate, what a surprise (I don't think)
Finally, in the words of Pope John Paul II of happy memory: “Let us ask the Holy Spirit to raise up courageous communicators and authentic witnesses to the truth,
I wont hold my breath on this one. :laughter:
Abstinence Makes the Church Grow Fondlers.

Ted Harvey
Posts: 172
Joined: September 10th, 2007, 4:41 pm

Re: Attack on the 'secular and humanistic' media

#3 Post by Ted Harvey » April 28th, 2008, 11:34 am

The mass media today is pervasive, persuasive and all too often invasive
Now of course the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland helps this along by having its own media office and director, now complete with their very own website.
the Pope warns that the mass media can be used for ideological purpose
Of course that will be altogether different from what the Church will be doing with what:
our Catholic Media Office through imaginative and ongoing engagement with the media seeks to do
Aye right… pass the collection plate.

Ted Harvey
Posts: 172
Joined: September 10th, 2007, 4:41 pm

Re: Attack on the 'secular and humanistic' media

#4 Post by Ted Harvey » April 30th, 2008, 3:31 pm

On Peter Kearney's very own point about using the media for ideoligical purposes; I see that in the herald on Monday he had anothe rone of his letters in which he yet again uses obnoxious and disparaging language about anyone who dares to have a view other than 'the Catholic line'. In this case he accuses Professor Phil Hanlon of "rants" - Phil Hanlon is of course a highly humane, accessible and one of Scotland's most widely respected senior health practitioners.

But what is most disturbing and unethical about Kearney's letter is that he invents an 'old chestnut' about blaming the Catholic Church for the HIV/Aids pandemic in South Africa. I can't ever recall anyone asserting that it was the Catholic Church that was to blame for the pandemic in South Africa; everything I have read or heard infers that the problem is to do with the abysmal ignorance and irresponsibility of the South African president and his office on the matter. This 'old chestnut' is invented, I suspect, because it can be so easily disproved with facts - and with the consequent inference that this is the type of untruthful thing that the non-believers put about. The relvant section of Kearney's letter:

Professor Hanlon might try a slightly more humble mea culpa. His rant is akin to the old chestnut of blaming the Catholic Church for the HIV/ Aids pandemic in countries such as South Africa, where although just 2% of the population are practising Catholics, so powerful are the church's edicts that the other 98% decide to live by them anyway.

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Alan C.
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Joined: July 4th, 2007, 3:35 pm

Re: Attack on the 'secular and humanistic' media

#5 Post by Alan C. » May 10th, 2008, 9:38 pm

Some good news from Spain, it looks like the "Bishops" have shot themselves in the foot. :D
Spanish bishops await details on new religious-freedom law

Madrid, May. 9, 2008 (CWNews.com) - The Spanish bishops' conference is withholding comment on reports that the government plans to put forward amendments to the country's law on religious freedom, the ABC newspaper reports.

Earlier this week ABC disclosed that the Socialist Workers' Party, which controls the government headed by Prime Minister José Luis Zapatero, is planning an effort to change the religion laws, bringing Spain a more secular approach to government. But the country's Catholic bishops are awaiting details of the proposed legislation before offering any comment.

During this year's electoral campaign, leaders of the Socialist Workers' Party vowed that they would eliminate privileges enjoyed by the Catholic Church. These campaign promises came after the bishops released a public statement on the electoral responsibilities of Catholic voters-- a statement that the leftist leaders saw as hostile to their campaign.
My bold.
Abstinence Makes the Church Grow Fondlers.

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Parapraxis
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Re: Attack on the 'secular and humanistic' media

#6 Post by Parapraxis » May 11th, 2008, 9:34 am

...pervasive, persuasive and all too often invasive
Sounds like religion.
The poster formerly known as "Electric Angel"

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