Sydney
1 June 2003

Home
Archive
Subscribe
Links
Contact

Bishop: Gay consent bill opens a "Pandora's box"

Bishop explains in ‘pastoral message’

Meditation ‘not Christian prayer’

Clare’s crowd - her family of 71

Parish priest moves out of ‘intolerable’ position’ at Redfern

Patroness ‘role model in faith’

New ambassador to Vatican

Selling peace and The Catholic Weekly

Govt honours cardinal, bishops, laity

Don’t believe everything you read, but ...

Students chip in $9000 for Caritas

Editorial: Care of mothers

Letters: Scholarly work

Conversation: Anthony Succar, university student and president of the Society of St Peter - Faith, strength and kryptonite

Following the Maker’s instructions

Social change at heart of new graduate body

Rainbow Serpent in stations at La Perouse church

How a painting of the Resurrection can help girls at risk

Centre for Cebu kids needs cash: Smokey Mountain is calling again.

Vestments, chalice of pioneer priests

Don’t believe everything you read, but ...

By Damir Govorcin

Don’t believe everything you read in the newspapers, says the Archbishop of Sydney, Dr George Pell. But, on the other hand, don’t ignore what’s in them,

The media, he said, is “powerful, competing, loves a stoush and controversy”.

“Through the media, Christian perspectives can be explained, developed and put to the majority of Australians,” he said.

“On many occasions the majority of Australian people will accept these perspectives.”

Archbishop Pell was speaking at the launch of Life in the Media Age, written by Br Kelvin Canavan, executive director of schools in the Sydney archdiocese.

To mark World Communications Day, Br Kelvin has reissued Life in the Media Age, which he wrote 25 years ago - for World Communications Day in 1978.

It focuses on the need for young people to become more appreciative, critical and discriminating in their use of mass media.

Br Kelvin, who says the information is even more relevant today, makes a strong plea for the revitalisation of media education in schools.

“Young people need assistance if they are to use the media intelligently,” he says. “I want the media to enrich young people’s lives and help them grow to their full potential.”

Br Kelvin, regarded by Dr Pell as Australia’s most distinguished Catholic educator, drew attention to the profusion of new media available today, such as the internet, DVDs, computers, pay-TV and mobile phones.

“This media may be less homogenous than in the 70s, but the time young people spend involved with the media appears to be increasing,” he said.

“For many young people, life seems to be a seamless stream of electronic entertainment and information flow.

“There appears to be no quiet time to reflect. Media have become permanent background static for many people.”

Loren Zarb, a year 12 student at Mary MacKillop College, Wakeley, says that through the media young people are being told how to act, how to dress and what to do for entertainment.

“In my opinion, this is creating a generation of people who, unless taught differently, will become mere sheep,” said Loren.

“It is also really sad that the influence the media has over us dictates how we should treat other people.

“We seem to be ignorant of the way we treat our own outcasts.”

Loren says the media has the potential “to be frightening in terms of what is presented to us”.

“We still have to learn that not everything we see is true,” she said.

Linda Doherty, education writer for The Sydney Morning Herald, feels

the role of the media is most effective in times of events such as the Bali bombings.

“In events like Bali, the media becomes a primary source of information,” she says.

“In covering the tragedy in Bali, management at The Sydney Morning Herald took a decision that there would be no hint of sensationalism, no hounding of victims and journalists would focus on capturing the grieving, pain and anger of the families.

“I feel our coverage was as good as, if not better than, anyone else’s.”

Ms Doherty says there is a need to educate the community about the media.

“Journalists aren’t completely distrustful,” she says. “People shouldn’t be afraid when someone from the media approaches them.

“People should hear journalists out, then ask them questions to gauge what their intentions are.”