Few know this, but the Catholic Church has a patron saint of journalists.  His name is Francois de Sales and he was the bishop of Geneva in the early 1600s.

 

I’m not quite sure just why the saint was assigned to monitor the press, but there is an actual prayer under his banner.  A Christian journalist is encouraged to say this:

 

“Lord, you have called me to serve others by means of information.  Grant that I may always work in obedience to the truth, with courage to pay a personal price so that truth will never be betrayed.

 

“Help me to join truth to charity, to never injure anyone’s dignity, and to promote in all, to the best of my ability, justice and peace.”

 

Nice prayer, right?  But the majority of  journalists would never say it because the media is the most secular of institutions; agnostic and often hostile to theology, as it is deemed to oppress people by the “woke” mob.

 

At this point in history, the press has become tribal.  No longer is it in the “truth finding“ business.  Today, corporations dictate how the news will be presented.  And if you the journalist don’t like it - don’t let the door hit you.

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Don’t believe me?  Check out the owner of the Bloomberg news agency.  Michael Bloomberg recently ordered that his crew of journalists not scrutinize his run for president or any of the other democratic candidates.

 

But they can hammer President Trump all they want.

 

When asked about the outrageous direction on the CBS Morning show, Bloomberg essentially said that he pays his people so they will do as they are told.

 

Maybe we should all pray for the journalists at the Bloomberg news operation.

 

But the truth is that most media outlets follow Mike’s dictum.  Do as you are told or else.

 

That’s why the national press is so corrupt. The orders from many corporations are that President Trump must go, so don’t even bother with fair reportage.  Get him and those who support him.

 

As far as injuring a person’s dignity, this is now a sport for many media people.  The more damning the headline, the better. Click-bait.  Let’s brutalize individuals by portraying all allegations as facts.  Due process?  Not a press worry.  Who cares if families are hurt, careers ruined, individuals destroyed? 

 

Why bother to search for the truth when that might delay or water down a salacious story?

 

Sadly, I have come to despise my own profession.  I know many of the people who run the news agencies and most prominent reporters and analysts.  And I know that they know, the media industry in America is largely corrupt  - driven by money and ideology.

 

But a paycheck is a paycheck and good media jobs are hard to get.  Thus, orders are followed.

 

Somewhere, Saint Francois knows all this too. 

 

And he is weeping.