News

With the rise of social media and digital access to news sources, it can sometimes be challenging to understand the origins of the news stories we encounter. Quite frankly, it can be hard to process the news in today’s world of sensationalized headlines and misdirecting clickbait. This is not to say credentialed sources are obsolete; if anything, they are more important now than ever. And while we may enjoy reading stories from sources that align with a particular point of view or voice to which we can relate, we owe it to ourselves to know the source of the information and to ensure its accuracy, particularly when the subject matter includes our Church.

As you know, there are quite a few independent, lay-controlled news outlets and publishing houses that provide a rich variety of Catholic content. First, to be very clear, there is nothing wrong with anyone accessing a Catholic lay media outlet, whether it is EWTN, National Catholic Reporter, National Catholic Register, or even Our Sunday Visitor.

DID YOU KNOW? The US bishops are responsible in a direct way to approve catechetical material which is used in US parishes (including schools and religious education programs). The local bishop delegates staff to ensure only content from vetted publishing houses is used in his diocese.

However, these lay-controlled news outlets are easily confused with media directly under the oversight of a bishop or religious order. What’s a reader to do? Here’s some practical pointers and resources to help tease out your news source, so you can understand the source of information and can be better informed as you peruse Catholic communications across the web.

Why is it important to know where your information originates?

Media produced under the supervision of a bishop or religious order are part of the authoritative teaching function of the Church, and source the core teachings and information about the church more reliably.  In other words, there is more certainty the publications and outlets immediately responsible to a bishop or a religious order carry the fullness of the Church’s teachings, in comparing their content to independent, lay-controlled media.

These would include:

• Vatican News (in 35 languages)
• United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (mainly English, some Spanish) – this is the website for the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. Many bishops’ conferences around the world have websites. The Latin American Episcopal Council (Spanish: Consejo Episcopal Latinoamericano) has a website using its Spanish acronym (CELAM).
• Catholic News Service – The US bishops have a news service, Catholic News Service (CNS), which provides content to its subscribers, and also has its own digital presence. It’s essentially a Catholic version of Associated Press or Reuters. It is well respected, both by bishops around the world and by secular journalists, especially those who cover religion. The CNS Rome bureau chief, for instance, has long been the president of the local journalists’ pool which covers the Vatican daily.
• State Catholic Conferences: Every archdiocese and diocese in each state have a structure through which they interact with state and regional governments. In Missouri, it is the Missouri Catholic Conference.
• Diocesan media: this varies among dioceses. Most are still print-oriented, but some are totally digital (such as the Archdiocese of Philadelphia). The Diocese of Jefferson City’s website is (Obviously, you are here!) and our official print publication is The Catholic Missourian. The Catholic Press Association serves as the member association for most diocesan media.

All of these entities have social media channels, including the Holy See. Even the Pope is engaged with the faithful online: his Twitter and Instagram handles, @pontifex, have more than 18 million followers.

Religious orders in the press

The quality across orders may vary, but the Jesuits have the largest network. They have several large newsrooms and print journals throughout the world. In North America, the Jesuit publishing effort is under America Media. They have an award-winning print magazine, an excellent series of podcasts and staff who are very active on social media. Another group of Jesuits in North America run Loyola Press, a publishing house that specializes in catechetical and liturgical books (but also has more general topics).

A few noteworthy religious orders who also provide catechetical and news products are:

• The Daughters of St. Paul
• Paulist Fathers
• Salesians of Don Bosco
• Franciscans and the Congregation of Holy Cross

In summary, you are what you read. So please continue to enjoy the many fruitful beautifully written blogs, articles, and websites that share the story of our faith online. But also, be aware, that when it comes to Church teaching knowing your source is an important piece of learning about the faith and evangelizing others.

Happy reading,

Helen Osman
Director of Communications
Diocese of Jefferson City
Office: 573.635.9127
Email: communication@diojeffcity.org