VATICAN CITY — The task of journalism is to seek the truth, which
requires humility and freedom of the press, Pope Francis told foreign
correspondents working in Italy.
"At a time when many spread fake news, humility keeps you
from peddling food spoiled by disinformation and invites you to offer the good
bread of truth. The humble journalist is a free journalist: free from
pressures, free from biases," he said, adding that such freedom also
required courage.
The pope made his remarks during an audience at the Vatican May
18 with members of the Foreign Press Association in Italy.
He said the church has always held the work of journalists in
high esteem and regard, even when their job entails touching sore
"wounds," including wounds within the church.
"Your work is valuable because it contributes to seeking the
truth, and only the truth sets us free," he said.
Because of the great impact they can have, journalists have a
huge responsibility in the way they carry out their "indispensable
role," the pope said. They must pay attention to the words and images they
choose and the information they share on social media, he said.
"Therefore, I urge you to work in accordance with the truth
and justice so that communication may truly be a tool for building, not
destroying; for coming together, not clashing; for dialogue, not monologues;
for guiding, not disorienting; for understanding, not misinterpreting; for
walking in peace, not sowing hatred; for giving voice to the voiceless, not for
giving a bullhorn to the one shouting the loudest," he said.
Journalists, Pope Francis said, must always recognize the power
they hold in their hands and resist the temptation to assume they already know
everything and to publish news that has not been adequately fact-checked.
"At a time when many tend to prejudge everything and
everyone, humility also helps journalists not be dominated by speed and to try
to slow down, to find the time needed to understand" and get all the facts
right before telling the story or commenting, he said.
The pope recognized the temptation to do what is easier: not ask
too many questions; be happy with the initial answers or predictable solutions;
oversimplify; not go in-depth and stick to just how things appear. Instead, it
takes much effort to carry out a proper investigation in order to
"represent the complexity of real life." People must
understand that "an article, a tweet, a live television or radio broadcast
can do good," but journalists also "can do harm to others and
sometimes entire communities if they are not careful and meticulous," the
pope said.
Pope Francis also recognized the danger many journalists are
exposed to and the lives lost when covering conflicts or other tragedies.
"Freedom of the press and expression are an important
indicator of the state of health of a country," he added, noting how one
of the first things dictators do is stop, manipulate or "disguise"
the freedom of the press.
He told the correspondents the world needs journalists "who
are on the side of the victims, the persecuted, those who are excluded,
rejected and discriminated against" because of their religion or
ethnicity.
The world needs a light shone on "the darkness of
indifference" and to be consistently reminded of those who suffer, victims
of forgotten wars, babies who are aborted, children who lack food and health
care, child soldiers and the lives of those who have been violated, he said.
Do not forget the real people — their stories and dreams — behind
the statistics when covering immigration, he also told the foreign
correspondents.
The pope urged journalists to cover all the immense good that
people are doing in the world — people who do not give in to indifference, who
do not flee in the face of injustice, but who seek to quietly build a better
world.
"There is an ocean overflowing with good that deserves to be
known and that gives strength to our hope," he said, emphasizing the way
female journalists are particularly suited to recognize and tell such stories.
At the end of his talk, the pope gave journalists a copy of
"Comunicare il Bene" ("Communicating the Good"), a book
compiling his many talks and messages in Italian addressed to journalists and
people working in communications.