Bam: [Archbishop] Chaput Boycotts the NYT

Denver Archbishop Charles J. Chaput addressed the Religion Newswriters Association conference in Denver yesterday where he both inspired and challenged. Religion reporters, he said, are not normal. “They are amphibians who live in two worlds and can honor both.”

“Acknowledge your mistakes and don’t make them a habit,” Chaput said. “Understand believers and their institutions as they understand themselves. If you do that and do it with integrity, fairness and humility, you’ll have the gratitude of the people you cover and you’ll embody the best ideals of your profession.”

During the question and answer period, Laurie Goodstein of the New York Times asked him why he didn’t return her phone call when Archbishop Jose Gomez was chosen as Los Angeles archbishop. Chaput said that Times reporter David Kirkpatrick misquoted him during John Kerry’s presidential campaign, and he said that he has recordings to prove it. “It’s The New York Times’ editorial policy that I’m interpreting,” Chaput said. “I made a judgment based on experience.”

Goodstein said she did not know Chaput was boycotting the Times. He challenged Goodstein’s more recent coverage of the Catholic Church. “You treated Pope Benedict badly in the latest series about him,” he said.

Cathy Grossman of USA Today challenged him, asking if a boycott over one reporter was fair. “We don’t boycott everyone, just the New York Times,” he said.

In contrast, he praised Associated Press reporter Eric Gorski’s coverage of the Catholic Church, even during the Catholic Church abuse stories. Chaput also gave a generous shout out to GetReligion, acknowledging our attempts to analyze, critique and praise religion coverage in the mainstream media.

ooops. Try that again.

Maybe, just maybe, “GetReligion” is showing the bias of one professional for another in his profession.

You say,” …: The New York Times is an important publication.” That is debatable.

You also make an analogy between a newspaper and a diocese and, I think, suggest the wrong conclusion. Certainly one bad priest does not a diocese make. But if a heterodox or careless priest is given honor in a diocese, of if it’s not a matter of just one bad priest, one may have to make a prudential guess, while being open to further information.

Similarly, if one has reason to believe that a newspaper has a bias or two, and then one encounters a reporter who exhibits that bias … well, how many times, in your view, should one submit to bad reporting before one can fairly decide to avoid making things easier for one’s apparent adversaries.

The suggestion that religious leaders should acquaint themselves with the inner workings of newspapers is, first, irrelevant in the case, and second a bit skewed.

(1) It is irrelevant in the case because the proof of the pudding is in the eating. However it works, if it produces bad product, then the heck with it.

(2) Newspapers purport to convey the facts or their best stab at them. If they frustrate the efforts of religion reporters to do so, is it really the job of religious leaders to accommodate themselves to journalistic flaws?

It is remarkable enough that reporters are, more often than not, advocates — in effect if not intent. But knowing that it’s the editor’s fault and not the reporter’s when the facts are misrepresented may make me think less harshly of the reporter, but it won’t garner him or her any more interviews.

I could see something like this, though: Some journalistic professional associations or larger news organs might produce and offer a pamphlet explaining the sort of thing you think religious leaders should know. Such a piece ought to include a section on what one should do if one thinks one was misquoted or unfairly used — on the organ’s procedure to correct errors.

Also burying corrections is hardly a good faith effort to counteract and amend the effects of an error. There seems to be a lot of burying going on.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.