The challenge of digital technology

Annecy, France, in the land of Saint Francis of Sales, hosted the 16th Days for Reflection of the France’s Catholic Press Federation (FFPC) titled: “Digital technology, a challenge for the Catholic press and the media” (January 26-27). The meeting opened with the presentation of the “White Paper”, conceived and published by FFPC. “This White Paper – said Bernard Bienvenu, president of the Federation – is intended to share with all major news desks the tools aimed at turning a new page in the background of a raging media storm that involves all media professionals”. In welcoming 220 participants in the Annecy days (journalists, media officers, web operators) the president of the French federation immediately faced the core of the question: “While it was unimaginable until a short time ago, the disappearance of some of our main newspapers is no longer a taboo”. From this viewpoint, French press experienced a major change 2011: newspapers had to shut down; new participative information websites were opened, along with the increasing importance of social networks. “Neither the Catholic press nor the Church -Bienvenu added -, want to miss the ongoing digital revolution. The Days are meant to jointly address this issue”.Digital technology and Catholic press. Three years ago the Federation decided to ask a panel of experts, including scholars and university professors, to draw up a statement underlining the contribution of digital technology to Catholic press. The reflections were collected in the “White Paper” presented in Annency. The volume outlines three challenges: identity, content, recipients, the public opinion, development, image, digital technology. To Days of Reflection are devoted to the latter, with a special emphasis that Bienvenu summarized as follows: “Depository in the Church of a Word which gives meaning to life, Catholic press interprets an original melody that distinguishes it within the larger symphonic orchestra as faith, hope and charity are also values which humanity is in dire need of in the present hard times”. Referring to the “irruption of digital technology” within this specificity, Bienvenu stressed, “Before a formidable cultural, threatening and beneficial choc, an original reply is expected from Catholic journalists”. Within such technological and cultural context, writes French historian and academic Max Gallo in the closing remarks of the “White Paper”, “Catholic press remains a benchmark. Its commitment will bear evidence of its freedom and independence. It is and it will still be indispensable”.A new landscape. Blog, Twitter, Facebook: the Church welcomes the digital challenge “since her mission is Word proclamation”, and in order to do so she must be able “to use all the available tools to proclaim the Gospel and its vision of man”. Msgr. Claudio Maria Celli, President of the Pontifical Council for Communications thus addressed participants in the French Days in a video-message. According to Nicolas Senèze, from the daily o La Croix, digital technology raises three challenges to Church communication: “web culture, interactivity culture, participation and consensus culture”. Senèze declared that before these three novelties introduced by technologies the Church must overcome “the culture of emission only” and acknowledge that “internauts initially seek factual information but the search is extended when something involving pops up”. Moreover, he remarked, “surfing the web entails a kind of availability that under certain aspects can be described as specifically Christian, namely, it entails an openness to encounter, notably Internet 2.0 and interactivity therein included, prompt dialogue. And the Church knows how to do this”. For Francois Ernenwein, journalist, philosopher, new media expert, “in a universe where communities, even the virtual ones, feel the almost insatiable need to share, how can we not see the possibility for Christian media to be part of the debate, to play an important role? The price is a reasonable amount of boldness, all the more so if creative, and most of all, unfaltering faith in the quality of our outlook to the world. In times of crisis hope is a strength that must be shared”. Antoine de Tarlé, President of Ouest-France Editions, recalled that the drastic change that occurred has had “a deep impact on journalists’ working conditions and also on the deontology of information. Journalists are thus asked to supply material, to combine printed press with online communication and blogs. But what will be the quality of information? A new chapter is opened in news desks that corresponds to a deep change in the way in which the new is conveyed”.