Articles
A Challenge to Communicators
Opinion | Articles | Cedric Prakash | 02-Jun-2025
On Sunday 1 June, the Catholic Church will observe the 59th World Day of Social Communications. The day is significant becuse ‘communications’ is an important and integral dimension of the Church. ‘Communications Day’ is one of the oldent ‘special days’ observance by the Church. The message for this year, was written by the late Pope Francis on the theme ‘Share with gentleness the hope that is in your hearts (cf. 1 Pet 3:15-16)’
In his message, Pope Francis sets the agenda of what communications should be today! He makes a fervent appeal for ‘diarming communications’ saying among other things, “too often today, communication generates not hope, but fear and despair, prejudice and resentment, fanaticism and even hatred. All too often it simplifies reality in order to provoke instinctive reactions; it uses words like a razor; it even uses false or artfully distorted information to send messages designed to agitate, provoke or hurt. On several occasions, I have spoken of our need to “disarm” communication and to purify it of aggressiveness. It never helps to reduce reality to slogans. All of us see how – from television talk shows to verbal attacks on social media – there is a risk that the paradigm of competition, opposition, the will to dominate and possess, and the manipulation of public opinion will prevail”.
He goes on to add, “There is also another troubling phenomenon: what we might call the “programmed dispersion of attention” through digital systems that, by profiling us according to the logic of the market, modify our perception of reality. As a result, we witness, often helplessly, a sort of atomization of interests that ends up undermining the foundations of our existence as community, our ability to join in the pursuit of the common good, to listen to one another and to understand each other’s point of view. Identifying an “enemy” to lash out against thus appears indispensable as a way of asserting ourselves. Yet when others become our “enemies”, when we disregard their individuality and dignity in order to mock and deride them, we also lose the possibility of generating hope. As Don Tonino Bello observed, all conflicts “start when individual faces melt away and disappear”. We must not surrender to this mindset.”
This message of hope, through meaningful communication, comes at the time when the world is in great turmoil:wars and conflict, hate and violence, lies and disinformation, facism and fanaticism, divisiveness and discrimination, demonisation and denigation,polarisation and prejudice, exclusivism and xenophobia- rule the roost! These painful realities, call the shots today! The space for truth and for standing up for what is right, for questionning and dissent is shrinking- particularly in counries ,that pride themselves to be ‘democracies’!
Pope Francis makes a fervent appeal, “try to promote a communication that can heal the wounds of our humanity. Make room for the heartfelt trust that, like a slender but resistant flower, does not succumb to the ravages of life, but blossoms and grows in the most unexpected places. It is there in the hope of those mothers who daily pray to see their children return from the trenches of a conflict, and in the hope of those fathers who emigrate at great risk in search of a better future. It is also there in the hope of those children who somehow manage to play, laugh and believe in life even amid the debris of war and in the impoverished streets of favelas.” Communications today must be of hope and of peace!
Very significantly , on 12 May, addresing in the Vatican, representatives of the International media, Pope Leo XIV, reiterated the words of Pope Francis saying, , I repeat to you today the invitation made by Pope Francis in his message for this year’s World Day of Social Communications: let us disarm communication of all prejudice and resentment, fanaticism and even hatred; let us free it from aggression. We do not need loud, forceful communication, but rather communication that is capable of listening and of gathering the voices of the weak who have no voice. Let us disarm words and we will help to disarm the world. Disarmed and disarming communication allows us to share a different view of the world and to act in a manner consistent with our human dignity. You are at the forefront of reporting on conflicts and aspirations for peace, on situations of injustice and poverty, and on the silent work of so many people striving to create a better world. For this reason, I ask you to choose consciously and courageously the path of communication in favour of peace”.
In his address, Pope Leo also said, “Let me, therefore, reiterate today the Church’s solidarity with journalists who are imprisoned for seeking to report the truth, and with these words I also ask for the release of these imprisoned journalists. The Church recognises in these witnesses – I am thinking of those who report on war even at the cost of their lives – the courage of those who defend dignity, justice and the right of people to be informed, because only informed individuals can make free choices.” He concluded his address saying, “You are at the forefront of reporting on conflicts and aspirations for peace, on situations of injustice and poverty, and on the silent work of so many people striving to create a better world. For this reason, I ask you to choose consciously and courageously the path of communication in favour of peace”.
India is still ranked at a pathetic 151 out of 180 countries,in the World Press Freedom Index 2025 published early in May. The index, in its India section, analyzes the state of media in the country stating, “India’s media has fallen into an “unofficial state of emergency” since Narendra Modi came to power in 2014 and engineered a spectacular rapprochement between his party, the BJP, and the big families dominating the media. Reliance Industries group’s magnate Mukesh Ambani, a close friend of the prime minister, owns more than 70 media outlets that are followed by at least 800 million Indians. The NDTV channel’s acquisition at the end of 2022 by Gautam Adani, a tycoon who is also close to Modi, signalled the end of pluralism in the mainstream media. Recent years have also seen the rise of “Godi media” (a play on Modi's name and the word for “lapdogs”) – media outlets that mix populism and pro-BJP propaganda. Through pressure and influence, the Indian model of a pluralist press is being called into question. The prime minister does not hold press conferences, grants interviews only to journalists who are favourable to him, and is highly critical of those who do not show allegiance. Indian journalists who are very critical of the government are subjected to harassment campaigns by BJP-backed trolls”.
What this impartial annual report states, is a fact about Indian media today! A fairly large section of media in India is spineless, totally godified! They spew out falsities and half-truths,platitudes and hollowness fed to them by their political bosses. Most of the media is owned and controlled by some corporate houses which toe the line of the ruling regime.The electronic media get their TRPs through debates indulging in shouting and shrieking with the anchors clearly ‘chamchas’ of the powers for obvious reasons. If any journalist dares the ‘staus quo’, it would mean the end of one’s career. Media, in general, is coopted and compromised and even prone to corruption. Many just ignore realities for fear of reprisals. Even the suffering of the people in Gaza does get the necessary coverage. Authenticity, objectivity,impartiality- just the plain truth is hardly on the radar of most media today!
One only has to look around to see what is happening in the country today: in Bastar and in Manipur , the frequent attacks on the minorities particularly the Muslims and Christians, bulldozing the Muslims and other poor from their homes and lands, lynching innocent people just becuse they belong to anothert faith, the growing gap between the rich and poor, spiralling prices, unemployment crisis and unfullfilled job promises , wanton destruction of the environment and denial of human rights to vast sections of the population, the comunalisation and criminalisation of politics, the legitimization of corruption , lies and half-truths,and much more. No mainstream media has the courage to consistently deal with and to highlight these and other ills which plague the ordinary citizens of India today!
Given the incisive messages of Pope Francis and Pope Leo with regard to communications and the grim realities of today,there are several serious challenges which Catholic communicators ( and in fact, all others) in India face; they include:
- the courage to speak truth to power: to communicate authentic information(without fear or favour) on injustices, war crimes, discrimination,violence, the mafia who plunder the country of our precious natural resources, rampant corruption
- to be in solidarity with all communiicators(including citizens who use social media to highlight facts) who are harassed , intimidated and even incarcerated for communicating truth ( like Dr. Ali Khan Mahmudabad of the Ashoka University)
- to take a stand against every form of violence ,particularly hate and provocatove speeches which tend to divide, denigate,polarise and manipulate people
- to be a visible and strong voice for the voiceless specially those who are victims of an unjust, brutal and revengeful system; particularly, the poor and the illitererate ,the minorities and the marginalised, the excluded and the exploited, the refugees and the migrants, the Adivasis, Dalits and OBCs,the small farmers and the casual labourers ,the slumdwellers and the homeless, the victims of trafficking, women and children, the LGBTQIA+ communities and all other vulnerable sections of society
- to protect and propagate Article 19 of the Indian Constitution which guarantees fundamental freedoms, primarily related to freedom of speech and expression, as well as other rights like freedom of assembly, association, movement, residence, and profession; the right to disent and to protest
Above all, in a world that reeks with untruth, despair and is engulfed in darkness, communicators have a heavy responsibility of being bearers of truth, hope and light!
(Cedric Prakash SJ is a human rights, reconciliation and peace activist/writer. Contact: cedricprakash@gmail.com )
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