Mr. Businessman went to Mass on Sunday; Mr. Businessman went to hell because of what he did on Monday.”
We heard this aphorism before and, of course, we understand that what we do in each day of our lives must be consistent. Or, in the words of a great saint, we should have “unity of life.”
That doesn’t mean that Mr. Businessman should go to Mass every day of the week. Unity of life simply means that we do not compartmentalize our “being good” in one part of our life and our daily activities, whether as a businessman, an office worker, a student or professor, a writer or a housewife, as something separate.
And so I am moved to comment on the idea that the business page of a newspaper should never touch on religion. In other words, religion is “banned” in a business column.
It is precisely here that one may inculcate, remind or share the need for ethical and moral values to those who are responsible for our economic and business environment. It is not always about money—nor is social doctrine to be considered as “religion” and thought to be contrary with business and corporate activity.
Precisely, it is the role of the media to ensure that morality guides the activities of those responsible for our economic and government policies, for the way businesses are run. Nor should media shirk or oppose comments, for example, by Pope Francis in his message for World Communications Day, if discussed in a business column, because it is “religion.”
In his message, the Holy Father speaks about the fast-changing world of communications and digital systems, and that we are witnessing the spread of what has become known as “fake news.” He took as theme “Social Communications at the Service of Truth” and thus, contributes to the Church’s commitment to stemming the spread of fake news and rediscovering the dignity of journalism and the personal responsibility of journalists to communicate the truth.
Francis says the antidote to falsehood is purification by truth. Truth is not just a conceptual reality that regards how we judge things, defining them as true or false. The truth is not just bringing to light things that are concealed as we might be led to believe. Truth is something one can lean on, and it is something we can experience within ourselves in the loyalty and trustworthiness of the One who says, “I am the Truth.”
Sometimes it is argued that that statement is based on impeccable facts. But if it is used to hurt another and to discredit that person in the eyes of others, however correct it may seem, it is not truthful.
We can recognize the truth of statements from their fruits: whether they provoke quarrels, foment division or, on the other hand, they promote informed and mature reflection leading to constructive dialogue and fruitful results.
Pope Francis went on to say that a weighty responsibility rests on the shoulders of those who provide information, namely journalists. Amid the mad rush for scoops, they must remember that the heart of information is not the speed with which it is reported or its audience impact, but persons and of being in touch with people’s lives. Thus, ensuring the accuracy of sources and protecting communication are real means of promoting goodness, generating trust and opening the way to communion and peace.
He therefore encourages the promotion of a journalism of peace, which means a journalism that is truthful and opposed to falsehoods, rhetorical slogans and sensational headlines …a journalism less concentrated on breaking news, but on exploring the underlying causes of conflicts, in order to promote deeper understanding; …a journalism committed to pointing out alternatives to the escalation of verbal violence.
In sum, I propose that there is no such thing as the “proper place” for what is considered “religion.” Ethics, morality and the promotion of truth have their proper place in
journalism.
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