EDITORIAL" "
Information on Europe needs professionals, and not only that
The primary responsibility of a journalist as relates to the Countries and Churches of Europe is to gather information and inform readers with professional discipline on the living conditions in our Continent, and not be limited to legislative, executive and judiciary news. To share with competence the initiatives and the projects of European institutions is certainly an important duty, but it’s not enough to spread information about Europe. This reflection stems from the acknowledgement, with honesty and without resignation, of the incognizance of European reality on the part of a large number of citizens, and it is necessary to carefully consider the danger of stereotyping that continues weighing on the public opinion and which the media contribute to step up. A year before European elections, these features should prompt in-depth reflections and lead journalists to engage in in-depth information on Europe. Another responsibility of media workers is to highlight the difficulties and the advantages of united and thriving Europe, whilst focusing on the originality and the wealth of its common roots. Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger used to say: “Christianity has been the originator of all peoples and cultures of Europe. We should recognize this and revitalize it in order to overcome the optical illusion of secularization that leads to the ideological blindness that destroys Europe: it is necessary to acknowledge this situation. Ignoring it is fatal”. Promoting public-awareness of this fact is the responsibility of media workers who have at heart the formation of critically-positive readership, that includes the dissemination of solid cultural and spiritual values. The third responsibility is to transmit the message that Europe is not only an affair of politicians and idealists. The journalist must help every reader to think that Europe is concerning him and that every citizen in one way or another has a role to play in the context of professional life, in leisure activities, the education of youth, or more simply in personal culture.This requires professional skills, but reliable sources and data aren’t always enough. More determination is needed on the part of journalists and editors-in-chief. A European heart is not formed only in schools of journalism. It must be accompanied by the concrete intention to invest financially on this kind of information to boost vocational training and greater media coverage of Europe, in all news channels, both old and new.These responsibilities should be accompanied by two main approaches: attention and imagination.The former recalls the commitment to boost the understanding of large and small events, and facilitate readers in gaining greater awareness of the European Union. This attention will enable to share the experience of others by discovering, for example, that a problem that has arisen in a country has been solved in another.The second area of work is a vision that must go beyond the past and the present without ever discarding them from the landscape of reflection and information. In other words, there is no room to linger in nostalgic memories of the project of the promoters of the European idea, but remaining faithful to their thought, we must recognize that the method of implementation of their plan has changed a lot and we must acknowledge the profound cultural transformation of the last decades. Finally, among the many and complex European issues that today threaten the common future of Europe and call into question also journalists figure also the question of dialogue between generations. Will adults and old people manage to reconcile themselves with the youths they engendered and with the youths they once were? Being at peace with one’s roots isn’t an easy task. Europe has the responsibility of knowing who it is while Europeans have the responsibility of knowing who they are on the grounds of their very identity. To meet these challenges and to address these issues journalists must demonstrate imagination and openness.One year to the European elections it is worth mentioning a passage from the Declaration of COMECE for the European elections in 1984: “The construction of Europe requires constant effort. This commitment is strengthened or diluted day after day. The actions, even the most modest within the reach of everyone, are significant for the future that we want”. This is true always and everywhere, even with regard to European information. And for Catholic journalists it must be transformed in more responsibility and vision.
