The Curt Jester points out how receptive the Main Street Media outlets are to things coming from the Vatican. Here are some headlines from various newspapers in reaction to the new papal encyclical, Spe Salvi, "Saved by Hope."
Pope Benedict and the Crusade Against Atheism: U.S. Politics Today's Russian News Service
New Papal encyclical blasts atheism, promises hope: Washington Post
Pope criticizes atheism and Marxism: United Press International
Papal encyclical attacks atheism, lauds hope: Reuters
Pope Criticizes Atheism in Encyclical: Associated Press
The AP claims that the encyclical has 76 pages; the UK Telegraph correctly says it has 26 pages, and led with a headline that said: Spe Salvi, says Pope Benedict. I see now a concrete reason why I find the Telegraph to be the best European newspaper.
It is interesting that the Yellow Press concentrates on the encyclical's trashing of "atheism." I did a count of the 26 page document. The word "atheism" appears three times in sections 42 and 43, near the end of the encyclical. "Hope" appears 200 times throughout it.
What kind of an editor would allow a headline like you see above to appear in print? For starters it would be one who didn't bother to read the encyclical himself. In addition, it probably is one who told one of his writers a week ago what to write as rumors as to the subject matter of the encyclical began to appear outside the walls of the Vatican.
Newspapers continue to lose circulation. They contain fewer and fewer pages. And the pages are smaller. Their newsroom staffs continue to shrink. The solution? Make up some news!
1 comment:
Excellent comment! Evidence of animus by secular press against the Church.
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