The Pope has denounced “fake news” as evil and urged journalists to make it their mission to search for the truth.
After a week in which Francis faced unprecedented bad press during his South American tour, the pontiff released his annual social communications message, dedicated this year to “fake news and journalism for peace”.
Francis wrote that the first fake news dates from the Biblical beginning of time, when Eve was tempted to take an apple from the Garden of Eden based on disinformation from the serpent.
In today’s fast-paced information age, he called for a shared commitment to rediscovering the “dignity of journalism” and for reporters to speak the truth with a journalism that is “truthful and opposed to falsehoods, rhetorical slogans, and sensational headlines”.
The message made no reference to how some public figures — most notably US president Donald Trump — often label unflattering or critical reports “fake news” to try to discredit the information.
Since becoming pope, Francis has learned to use the media to get his message across, but he still frequently complains about what he considers one-sided reporting and what he has dubbed the “sins of the media: disinformation, slander and defamation”.
During his recent trip to Chile and Peru, Francis faced the worst protests of his five-year papacy, as well as the worst press coverage. He went into the trip facing criticism for having appointed a bishop accused by victims of being complicit in covering-up for Chile’s most notorious paedophile priest, and was then harshly criticised in the Chilean media for having accused those victims of “slander”.
“The tragedy of disinformation is that it discredits others, presenting them as enemies, to the point of demonising them and fomenting conflict,” he said.
He praised educational efforts to raise awareness among social media users, as well as legal and institutional efforts to unmask those who hide behind virtual walls to plant lies.
“None of us can feel exempted from the duty of countering these falsehoods,” he said.
Francis said that does not mean reporting only sentimental, “saccharine” reports that ignore conflict or problems, but merely reporting what is “truthful and opposed to falsehoods, rhetorical slogans, and sensational headlines”.
