World Communications Day--calling for media change

The theme for this year's World Communications Day is, The Media: At the Crossroads between Self-Promotion and Service.Searching for the Truth in order to Share it with Others. Pope Benedict has released remarks for the event, which is on May 4th.

"We must ask," the Holy Father insists, "whether it is wise to allow the instruments of social communication to be exploited for indiscriminate 'self-promotion' or to end up in the hands of those who use them to manipulate consciences.

"Today," he points out, "communication seems increasingly to claim not simply to represent reality, but to determine it. ...in certain situations the media are used not for the proper purpose of disseminating information, but to 'create' events." (underlined emphasis mine)

Pope Benedict calls this a "dangerous change" that has been "noted with concern by many Church leaders" and calls for a complete change in the present focus of the media, away from promoting materialism and moral relativism and towards a "media ethic" that promotes the dignity of all humanity.

How can this be done? First, by not supporting the existing media. Within the next year or two, televisions using old technology will no longer work without technical adaptations. This is a good time to consider your television diet. Do you need a tv at all? Do you need as many as you currently have? Perhaps this Lent is a good time to go on a "media diet".

Second, support alternate media. There are many good Catholic media organizations out there as well as good internet blogs of all kinds that don't pander to the materialistic culture of death.

Find them. Support them. Start one.

Some to consider: EWTN, Ave Maria Radio, The Catholic Channel, and Saint Michael's Media.