In a message to an Italian public television show on its 30th anniversary, Pope Leo XIV pointed out the benefits but also the risks and dangers of digital media.<\/p>\n
Pope Leo XIV warned of the risks that go hand in hand with information in the digital age and urged journalists never to succumb \u201cto the temptation of the trivial\u201d or to fake news that creates confusion about what\u2019s true or false.<\/p>\n
The pope made his comments in a message sent on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of \u201cPorta a Porta\u201d (\u201cDoor to Door\u201d), a program on RAI 1 Italian public television, in which he addressed to the show\u2019s host, Bruno Vespa, the editorial team, and the viewers.<\/p>\n
Leo XIV recalled the three decades of the \u201cPorta a Porta\u201d program\u2019s history as a period marked by \u201cwars and peace agreements, crises and recoveries, joyful and sad events.\u201d <\/p>\n
At the same time, he emphasized that the medium itself has also changed: television and, with it, all communication. \u201cToday we have new tools and new possibilities for informing ourselves, learning, and interacting,\u201d the pope wrote, \u201cbut along with them, new risks have also emerged.\u201d<\/p>\n
Among these dangers, the Holy Father listed the exchange of fake news for real news, \u201ccompulsive channel surfing\u201d instead of attentive listening, \u201cdoom scrolling\u201d instead of intentional reading, superficial curiosity instead of a genuine desire to learn, and monologues instead of dialogues in which no one truly listens.<\/p>\n
In the face of these trends, the pontiff advocated patience and a long-term perspective as necessary conditions for building lasting relationships. He also urged that technological innovations not lead to the loss of \u201cthe uniqueness of our humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCommunication challenges us all never to succumb to the temptation of the banal,\u201d Pope Leo XIV emphasized. Finally, he encouraged television professionals to \u201calways offer the world, which thirsts for beauty and truth, quality television.\u201d<\/p>\n
This story\u00a0was first published\u00a0by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.<\/p>\n