Pope Francis: media sin by dredging up and sensationalising old news

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis has criticised journalists who dredge up old scandals and sensationalise the news, saying it’s a “very serious sin” that hurts all involved, according to an Associated Press report on 18 Dec 2017.

Francis, who plans to dedicate his upcoming annual communications message to “fake news,” told Catholic media on Dec 16 that journalists perform a mission that is among the most “fundamental” to democratic societies.

But he reminded them to provide precise, complete and correct information and not to provide one-sided reports.

The pope said: “You shouldn’t fall into the ‘sins of communication’: disinformation, or giving just one side, calumny that is sensationalised, or defamation, looking for things that are old news and have been dealt with and bringing them to light today.”

He called those actions a “grave sin that hurts the heart of the journalist and hurts others.” – catholic herald