Pope Francis warned on Saturday about the dangers of misinformation on the internet while testifying to his contribution to modern communication.
In his message written for the 2021 World Communication Day, to be celebrated on May 16, 2021, the pope focuses on the need for journalists and writers to have real experiences, meet and not live in isolation in a virtual world.
“Informative voices have long expressed concern about the risk of original investigation planning in newspapers and television, radio and webcasting being replaced by a report that conforms to a standard, often biased story,” the pope said. “This approach is less and less able to comprehend the truth of things and the concrete lives of people, and even less serious social phenomena or positive movements at grassroots level.”
The pope also warns against a ‘version of reporting’ created in newsrooms, in front of the company’s personal computers or computers and on social networks, without ever ‘hitting the streets’ and meeting people face-to-face for research stories or first-hand verify situations. ‘
Personal encounter is essential, Francis argues, because otherwise we remain ‘mere spectators’ despite the technical innovations that enable us to feel immersed in a larger and more immediate reality.
Journalism ‘asks for the ability to go where no one else thinks’s: a readiness to leave and a desire to see’, he insists, expressing his gratitude for ‘the courage and dedication of all the professionals’ – journalists, editors, directors – who often risk their lives to do their jobs. ”
In his message, the pope also warned about first world-centered news media failing to thoroughly report on news from Asia, Latin America and Africa.
“The Internet, with its many social media expressions, can increase the ability to report and share, with many more eyes on the world and a constant flood of images and testimonies,” the pope said. “Digital technology gives us the possibility of timely first-hand information that is often very useful.”
At the same time, ‘the risk of misinformation being spread on social media has become clear to everyone’, he says. “We have known for some time that news and even images can be easily manipulated for various reasons, sometimes just for pure narcissism.”
The pope did not engage in the Big Tech censorship and free speech debate, limiting himself to “encouraging greater discernment and responsibility for the content sent and received.”
“All of us are responsible for the communication we make, for the information we share, for the control we can exercise over false news by exposing it,” he continues.
“Every instrument has its value, and the great communicator who was Paul of Tarsus would certainly have used email and social messaging,” Francis claims, insisting that the Gospels themselves were and are ‘news reports’.