Pope Francis to highlight fake news in January message

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Pope Francis plans to highlight the importance of truth and the fight against "fake news" in a message to be released Jan. 24, the Catholic News Service reports.

A spokesman for the Vatican told the news service that Francis will speak out against false information that lead to the "polarization" of public opinion in modern societies.

Francis' message "relates to so-called 'fake news' -- namely baseless information that contributes to generating and nurturing a strong polarization of opinions," the announcement said. "It involves an often misleading distortion of facts, with possible repercussions at the level of individual and collective behavior."

The announcement goes on to note that Francis will praise journalists who try to "promote professional journalism, which always seeks the truth, and therefore a journalism of peace that promotes understanding between people."

The pope's message will be released on Jan. 24, according to the news service, to coincide with the feast of St. Francis de Sales, patron of journalists. World Communications Day 2018 will be celebrated on May 13.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/366871-pope-francis-to-highlight-fake-news-for-world-communications

[sandensea]

1. Quite a change from his two predecessors.

Whenever anyone handed them a newspaper, they'd ask 'does the Opus Dei run it?'

'No, Your Holiness.'

'Zen I don't vant to read it!'

[NCTraveler]

2. The irony is thick.

I still like this guy a lot more than his predecessors.