Pope Francis’s declaration that journalists who dredge up old scandals and sensationalize the news are committing a “grave sin” is a message ultimately aimed at all Christians, political commentator Mollie Hemingway said Sunday.
In remarks to media critic Howard Kurtz on Fox News, The Federalist commentator pointed out the Catholic Church “has had a lot of experience” with “unfair coverage.”
“He seems to care about journalists and the bad effects of fake news,” she said.
There’s a “religious component” to his remarks on bringing up old stories of misdeeds, Hemingway said — the pope is reminding reporters of the concept of “redemption… that allows forgiveness to take place.”
“He’s talking about journalists… he’s talking about everybody,” Hemingway said, adding speaking truthfully is “an important fact of being a good Christian.”
On Dec. 16, the pope, who plans to dedicate his upcoming annual communications message to “fake news,” told Catholic media to remember their mission is among the most “fundamental” to democratic societies.
“You shouldn’t fall into the ‘sins of communication:’ disinformation, or giving just one side, calumny that is sensationalized, or defamation, looking for things that are old news and have been dealt with and bringing them to light today,” he said, calling those actions a “grave sin that hurts the heart of the journalist and hurts others.”
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