When reading or watching news about Catholic practices, people, or newsworthy events, we should always seek out trustworthy sources. It is not uncommon for secular news sources to be subtly or even openly biased against religion and people of faith. Even news sources that are in union with the Church can display bias by using emotive language
rather than impartially recounting the facts of a story.
In both secular and Catholic media, well-intended reporters may simply lack the knowledge to understand what they are reporting on (for example, the complexities or nuances of the Church’s teaching on papal authority, human morality, the common good, the sanctity of all human life, and the dignity of the human person). As Catholics, we must cultivate the practice of analyzing what we see and hear in the news.
In this lesson your students will:
- Compare various headlines that expose media bias.
- Discuss the signs of bias—both explicit and implicit—that can be present in media sources.
- Deepen their understanding of current events and human actions by analyzing and comparing the sources from which they obtain information.
- Explore the benefits and challenges of a free press for the Christian life.
- Assess the need for Christians to be prudent consumers of media.