He encouraged journalists to escape “from the tyranny of always being online,” to get out from behind their computer screens, in order to encounter and communicate reality.
“We need journalists who are willing to ‘wear out the soles of their shoes,’ to get out of the newsroom, to walk around the city, to meet people, to assess the situations in which we live in our time,” Pope Francis said.
“For a journalist, listening means having the patience to meet face to face with the people to be interviewed … the sources from which to receive news. Listening always goes hand in hand with seeing, with being present: certain nuances, sensations, and well-rounded descriptions can only be conveyed to readers, listeners and spectators if the journalist has listened and seen for him – or herself,” he said.
The pope’s comments came just over two weeks after Vatican journalists protested the lack of access to report on President Joe Biden’s meeting with Francis firsthand.
After journalists were already barred from having a pool representative present for the initial handshake, the Vatican also abruptly canceled its scheduled live broadcast of the meeting without explanation.
The Associated Press reported that it had formally complained to the Vatican about the canceled live stream, along with members of the Vatican correspondents’ association. The president of the White House Correspondents’ Association declared the group’s solidarity with Vatican reporters in expressing disappointment with the lack of transparency.
“Every piece of news, every fact we talk about, every reality we describe needs to be investigated,” Pope Francis said.
“At a time when millions of pieces of information are available on the web, and when many people obtain their information and form their opinions on social media, where unfortunately the logic of simplification and opposition sometimes prevails, the most important contribution that good journalism can make is that of in-depth analysis.”
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