Hotline Asia -- Social Concern Notes

Parish Social Concern Groups - Church's Social Teachings
~ Strategy : Newspapers/Magazines ~
Lesson 23

Question || Church Teaching || Acting Justice || Facilitators' Notes
 

Introduction

Dear Fellow Christians,

In a recent South China Morning Post (26/4/02) were the following news reports.

"Police sweep on abode protesters." (Hong Kong)
"Unions oppose hasty pay shake-up." (Hong Kong)
"Ultimatum on migrant worker fees." (China)
"Gas explosion at mine kills 23, injures four." (China)
"Study maps the lows of sexual desert." (China)
"Law fails to save millions from life of bonded labour." (India)
"Special forces advisers may join combat patrols (Philippines & U.S.A.)
"Go-it-alone US fails to heed September 11 lesson, says Keating."
(Indonesia and U.S.A.)
"Brothers cleared of Nigerian boy's death." (Britain.)

When I finish reading the daily newspaper, I feel helpless in the face of so many tragedies and injustices. So I don't read the newspaper anymore?

-- Socially-Concerned Christian
 
Question

How would you respond to this letter?
 

Social Teachings of the Church

"20. Among the major changes of our times, we do not wish to forget to emphasize the growing role being assumed by the media of social communications and their influence on the transformation of mentalities, of knowledge, or organizations and of society itself. Certainly they have many positive aspects. Thanks to them news from the entire world reaches us practically in an instant, establishing contacts which supersede distances and creating elements of unity among all men. [Sic]. [Pope Paul VI, "Octogesima Adveniens, The Eightieth Anniversary of 'Rerum Novarum' (May 14, 1971", Joseph Gremillion, The Gospel of Peace and Justice, Catholic Social Teaching since Pope John, (Maryknoll, New York: Orbis, 1976) p. 495.]
 

Acting Justice

  1. What are the publications that you regularly read each month? Minutes? Purpose?
    PUBLICATION MINUTES PURPOSE OF READING
         
         
         
         

    During this month how will you change your reading habits?

    ____________________________________________
 
Facilitators' Notes

Each day we, socially concerned Christians, are overwhelmed by newspaper reports of alleged evils and injustices in all parts of the world including Hong Kong. Some Christians ignore these accounts and look at the cartoons. Other Christians avidly read these accounts of worldwide injustice. But the newspaper is full of many things, that there is no time to do anything about all these evils. When we finish reading the news we collapse in a state of helplessness.

  • Learn how to read a newspaper. Function of headlines and first paragraph, news accounts, analysis Letters to Editors. Distinguish the function of both "establishment press" and "advocacy press."

  • Learn the function of a newspaper and a periodical. Judiciously read periodicals especially "advocacy press."

  • Focus on one issue. Check if any items in newspaper impinge on your issue. Injustices often have significant linkages e.g. water pollution with politics, economics.

ACTING JUSTICE

The concluding chart helps the group to reflect upon its reading habits and, if necessary, to read more economically and judiciously.
 

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