Pope says media need ethics in world where facts are distorted

Published: 2008-01-24

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In a world where the media increasingly distort facts and manipulate minds, the communication industry needs an ethics code, Pope Benedict XVI said. Just as bioethics guide workers in the field of medicine and science to protect human dignity, "many people now think there is a need, in this sphere (of communication), for info-ethics," the pope said in his message for World Communications Day, which will be celebrated May 4 in most countries. The pope called for communicators to be courageous and authentic witnesses to the truth. Media workers must "remain at the service of the person and of the common good" and "foster man's ethical formation ... man's inner growth," Pope Benedict said in the message released Jan. 24 at the Vatican. As the theme for the 2008 celebration the pope chose: "The Media: At the Crossroads Between Self-Promotion and Service. Searching for the Truth in Order to Share It With Others."

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