Media reporting and the new Islam controversy
Published September 18th, 2006 in GeneralI was watching Sky News at the weekend and one segment caught my attention when they were interviewing one of the Vatican’s spokespeople about the controversy over the Pope’s recent comments.
He pointed out that much of the controversy has stemmed from how the media are reporting it, specifically pointing out a headline from one of the US papers. Rather than look at the pope’s speech as a whole or at least put his comments into context, the media have opted for the flashy headlines and as a result shown the red flag to a bull.
To illustrate this he highlight other comments from the Pope’s statement which could be deemed critical of the Lutheran faith, something I hadn’t heard up until now. Of course, those comments don’t sell newspapers, so no front page coverage.
I’m not saying that the Pope’s comments weren’t insensitive, but as much as he has a responsibility to bring about positive dialogue with other faiths rather than being controversial, the media has a responsibility to make sure that their reporting is balanced instead of fanning the flames.
Technorati Tags: Islam, Media, Piaras Kelly, Pope
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be fair to the media piaras - i know that the text of the pope’s speech barely even runs to 7 pages, but (seriously) how far did you get through if before you began skimming and looking for something quotable in it?
We all, including the fourthestate, have a responsibility towards the society- thats how a society is run. In a free world, we are free to do what we wish, as long as we do not harm others. The media can write whatever they want as long as they do not try to make people’s lives their sales tools. Misquoting anything out of context for frontpage headlines is not reporting news at all, it is only providing tiltilation to readers.