austraLasia #2131

WCD (not WYD) coming up - more quickly than WYD in fact!

JERUSALEM: 22nd April 2008 -- WCD or World Communication Day, the one and only 'world day' mandated by Vatican Council II (Inter Mirifica), and a useful platform, amongst other things, for Papal teaching on something that is helping to create the very culture we live in, is just around the corner - May 4th, or the Sunday before Pentecost.  At least, most dioceses choose to celebrate it on that date. This year Ascension Day, if kept on Thursday, falls on 1st May, but if WCD is celebrated at this time of the year it will be Sunday 4th.
    Rather than ask what 'you', the reader will be doing about this important event, entitled, for this year: "The Media: At the Crossroads between Self-Promotion and Service. Searching for the Truth in order to Share it with Others", maybe austraLasia should ask itself to reflect on the message, and then by way of example, foster more self-reflection amongst readers. The message was issued on 24 January, the feast of St Francis of Sales (patron saint of journalists). It applies to anyone who is engaged in a media activity, not just 'the others' whoever they may be!  Recently we were talking in class, in the presence of an Israeli Television producer busily going about his business, about what the relationship between (mainstream) media and the Church, theology should be. We agreed, I think, that it was not simply about the Church 'baptising' the media - something an Israeli TV producer would not happily welcome! We have agreed that we look at how WE think about and deal with media, communications, our beliefs, our habits, our.... our well, whatever we do in this field. We are part of the world of social communications and the Holy Father is speaking to us as well as to the mainstream media. We should take careful note of what he says and try to put into practice his wise advice.
    The Pope says that media should not be about 'self promotion', but should always be 'at the service of the person and the common good'.  Hopefully austraLasia is not about self-promotion of any kind (but of course no correspondent, writer, coordinator of news is going to admit that he IS doing self promotion).  It is one reason why generally there is no byline to austraLasia news.  Occasionally that rule is broken.  And generally it is not written in 1st person - except during GC26 which appeared to call for an exception.
    Are we 'searching for the truth in order to share it with others'?  That of course is the idea behind ANS, BIS, austraLasia and any other Salesian information service.  But we cannot assume that this is precisely what is happening.  The Pope warns that one temptation here is to 'create events' rather than just disseminate information. He is talking about a rather more serious manipulation of world events by media than a humble edition of one of the above info outlets, but the Pope's point refers to the power of information (or invention) when allied with media that are convincing of their very nature. Blogs, daily news feeds, web sites - they all exert a certain power.  From a Salesian perspective though, maybe the point heads the other way - what we write, why we write it, who reads it may be almost too limited.  We possibly do not exert the degree of power and influence (for good) on the world that we have the capacity for.
    If you have any further thoughts on these or associated matters......
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 AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific.  It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome.  For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com . Use Bosconet-wiki to be interactive. RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click on austraLasia 2008 in the sidebar. You will see the RSS orange icon in your browser address bar - add it from there.  Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at at http://sdl.sdb.org

Title: australasia 2131
Subject and key words: SDB General World Communications Day
Date (year): 2008
ID: 2000-2099|2131