The Press
I received Cameron's message just after watching mass at San Fernando Cathedral in San Antonio, Texas, this being the Sunday when the Cathedral honors the media. As usual, the front rows of the cathedral were reserved for the honored guests. It was a surprise to find out how many media outlets there are in San Antonio. Father Garcia read out a long list of them, and later, with an apology, named two more which he had omitted. Clearly representatives of the two had called his attention to his sin of omission. He devoted his sermon to the press and its responsibilities. Then the media people stood up while he gave them a long blessing, reminding them of their responsibilities. He also said playfully that this would improve their ratings.
Apparently this Sunday was chosen to honor the media because of the readings from the Bible. The passage from Exodus spoke of the obligation to protect widows and the poor (widowers can take care of themselves), while the lesson from the New Testament (love they neighbor as thyseff) showed Jesus telling the truth, skillfully evading the powerful who were trying to trip him up, just like undemocratic governments trying to catch a journalist and imprison him. Journalists are not crucified, but they risk assassination. I suppose the Opus Dei, which recruits professional people, has a similar Christian code for journalists.
This brings us to the two faces of Catholicism. The Inquisition grew in response to the invention of printing, which allowed the press to develop. The Inquisition represented formal Catholicism, and explains the widespread anti-clericalism in Spain. I have know Catholics in whom the spirit of the Inquisition was still alive. One viewed his son as a liberal or worse because he read Time magazine Their religion is oppressive and formal, without a spark of love. They have virtually disappeared, since their way was a dead end. San Fernando represents the new spirit of Catholicism, based on love. I hope the media people left the cathedral realizing that yellow is not only the color of the gutter press but also of the Pope. The Oxford-Cambridge boat race is totally insignificant in comparison with their two mottoes, which combined would be a good slogan for journalists: Deus Illuminatio Mea, Veritas.
Perhaps Cameron can tell us something about the attitude of the Orthodox Church toward freedom of the press. Is the low rating of Russia in the listing we discussed justified?
Ronald Hilton - 10/27/02
Cameron Sawyer reacted testily to the listing of countries, according to freedom of the press, drawn up by Reporters Without Borders: "How can anyone believe such lists? How do you measure press freedom? What objective factors would show that Costa Rica has more press freedom than the U.S.? A lengthy session on this organization's website (http://www.rsf.fr/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=20) failed to turn up any. Give me a break". This is a valid point. We must look carefully into such listings, just as we study carefully the ratings of world educational systems by the World Bank. However, I trust Cameron realizes that Costa Rica is a beacon of democracy amid the darkness of Latin America, and that the press there is not under the economic pressure to which the US press is subjected. While we must be careful in accepting all these ratings drawn up by professional groups, we must be equally carefully in rejecting them.
| Webmaster |