In a world in which the media have become "a constituent of the interpersonal relations and social, economic, political and religious processes", "info-ethics" is needed, just like "there is bioethics in the area of medicine and scientific research on life". This is the proposal put forward by the Pope in his Message for the forthcoming World Day of Social Communication revealed today due to take place in May about: "Social mass media: at the crossroads between self-promotion and service. Looking for and sharing the truth". "The media writes Benedict XVI are not just ways to spread ideas, but they can and must be also tools at the service of a fairer and more sympathetic world". The "risk" here is instead that "they may turn into systems for subjecting man to a logic that is dictated by the prevalent interests of the time": this is the case, according to the Pope, of "a communication that is used for ideological purposes or to place consumer goods through obsessive advertisements". "Under the pretext of portraying reality, they actually tend to legitimate and impose misleading models of personal, family or social life", denounces the Pope, who thinks "to increase the ratings, they do not mind resorting to transgression, rudeness and violence". (continued)” “
