Posted on 09/26/2010 11:06:50 AM PDT by marshmallow
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 dont 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, youll have the gratitude of the people you cover and youll embody the best ideals of your profession.
During the question and answer period, Laurie Goodstein of the New York Times asked him why he didnt 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 Kerrys presidential campaign, and he said that he has recordings to prove it. Its The New York Times editorial policy that Im interpreting, Chaput said. I made a judgment based on experience.
Goodstein said she did not know Chaput was boycotting the Times. He challenged Goodsteins 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 dont boycott everyone, just the New York Times, he said.
In contrast, he praised Associated Press reporter Eric Gorskis 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.
(Excerpt) Read more at getreligion.org ...
Bravo, Your Excellency.
btt
The NYT published a lengthy series of demonstrably false and misleading articles on the abuse crisis. It was amusing to see the Catholic haters on FR bending over backwards to justify and excuse the blatant lies of NYT reporters. It was good to see such a clear sign of their common parentage.
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 its 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 ones 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 its the editors fault and not the reporters when the facts are misrepresented may make me think less harshly of the reporter, but it wont 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 organs 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.
Archbishop Chaput is not the only one boycotting the NYT. Fr. Benedict Groeschel is encouraging viewers of his weekly program Sunday Night Live, to cancel their subscriptions to the NYT.
Can’t boycott something you never touched in the first place ...
The whole EWTN team is just awesome.
Very excellant mentors/teachers esp. for the homebound.
Glad to see the Archbishop take a stand.
In the related articles section on Catholic New Agency, is this gem...from 98
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/document.php?n=218
If anyone takes the New York Slimes they should follow Archbishop Chaput’s example and cancel their subscriptions.
<>Snakes are amphibians, right?
Some things should not even have to be said. Christians should never promote, subscribe to, advertise in, or in any other way support pro-abortion media.
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