Last week, it seemed that everyone was a Catholic.
Pope Francis’ visit to the United States was something to see.
The leader of the Roman Catholic Church visited Washington D.C, New York City and Philadelphia in a much anticipated tour that had been scheduled years in advance.
During this, his first visit to the United States, Pope Francis made stop sites such as Ground Zero in Manhattan and Independence Hall in Philadelphia. The Pope met with school children, the homeless and prisoners.
The streets of the largest cities on the East Coast were lined with the faithful as well as those of other faiths, some of whom waited for hours or who purchased scalped tickets for the free events on line, waiting to see one of the world’s most respected spiritual leaders. Dignitaries, including President and Mrs. Obama and the Governors and Mayors of the states and cities in question waited their turn to meet him. He spoke before the United Nations General Assembly. For the first time in history, the spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic Church spoke before a joint session of the U.S. Congress.
In the spirit of American capitalism, people who came to catch a glimpse of Pope Francis, many of whom traveled from all over North America, could purchase souvenirs and other trinkets memorializing their experienced with Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the Argentina born Jesuit priest who was anointed as Pope Francis in 2013. For $160 on the www.popefrancisvist.com website, you can buy a stand up, life size cutout of the Pope. You can also buy calendars, key chains, hoodies, license plates, coffee mugs and other religious trinkets. The major news outlets covered many of his activities live on TV, including the Mass held in Madison Square Garden.
Pope Francis comes to America and it is a big deal.
As a Catholic, I was heartened by his kindness and his humor. I was moved by his message and the images of his interaction with the people. His approachability somehow seemed to make him more human and more Godly at the same time. The pope was consistent in his reminder to all of us that it is our duty to take care of those less fortunate. His oft repeated question asking “Who am I to judge?” served to remind us that humans are complex and fallible.
It was also clear that his message and his positions on many social issues were reported through the lens of the current political climate in this country.
Throughout the coverage of the Pope’s visit and of his speeches and homilies during Mass, the news anchors and political commentators heard what they wanted to hear and reported through that bias.
The Pope’s stance on immigration. His opinion on capitalism and those with a lot helping those with little. His concerns about the environment and his view that climate change impacts the poor and the weak in ways that those who are not poor or weak must address. The Pope’s reminder that the church supports life in all situations, especially related to the death penalty.
They conveniently left out the Pope’s stance on gay marriage, divorce, the role of women in the church and, most of all, his stance on abortion.
So much for fair and balanced reporting. Holding up the Pope as a beacon of truth on environmental issues or on immigration or the death penalty while selectively ignoring his position on abortion is what some might call a sin of omission.
Some might argue that, because the Pope is a religious figure and not a political figure, his views on the hot button political topics in America are irrelevant. It doesn’t matter that the Church that he represents would be vehemently opposed to the recent vote to uphold legal abortions (particularly late term) and that he would be against an organization that allegedly financially benefits from the sale of the remains of aborted infants. I’m guessing his opinion on Obamacare and the mandate that all employers – including Catholic schools, churches and other religious organizations – wouldn’t fit with the mainstream media’s agenda.
If you are going to report on something, shouldn’t you report all of the information?
Hearing what we want to hear and using that information to support our own opinion is called confirmation bias. Reporting only one side of any issue or omitting key and important details when telling a story is shoddy journalism.
Filtering a message to propel one’s own agenda is just wrong.
It is human nature to see or hear facts and stories and to frame them in a way that supports our paradigm. Social scientists have seen it over and over again. When people with different opinions are given the same information and it’s not unusual for them to use that same information to support their prior opinion. When people filter intentionally to modify or politicize information and then distribute that to the public, it is just plain wrong.
Pope Francis is reportedly a humble man who has lived his life in the service of others. He espouses honest and transparency in an institution that has stumbled in recent times. He has a deep caring for the poor and an earnest concern for what he believes are environmental issues. He’s also the leader of the estimated 1.2 billion Catholics worldwide. Some have been encouraged by what have been viewed as liberal views of current social issues. Others have been frustrated by what they believe are traditional interpretations of the doctrine. The faithful are certain where he stands on the issues that the press chose not to cover.
From CNN to Fox News, Hilary Clinton to Donald Trump, and including Pope Francis, when the media reports only the agenda-filtered views of a public figure, they are doing a disservice to their viewers and their readers.
