WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY ~ MAY 3 2019 Theme ~ Media for Democracy:

Journalism and Elections in Times of Disinformation

What compels journalists to risk their lives to expose oppression and corruption?  Perhaps we who are called to prophetic mission are closer than we might imagine to journalists committed to truth, democracy, human rights and the environment.

For many global citizens, the journey to democracy is fraught with peril.  For those in democratic countries, troubling trends such as intrusive surveillance highlight the need for ongoing vigilance. 

Though sometimes considered meddlesome and even “dispensable”, journalists and news organizations can play a vital role as guardians, informed commentators and advocates.  Their protection and independence are essential for many other freedoms at the heart of democracies.  

This year in Canada, World Press Freedom Day precedes a fall federal election already marked by competing narratives about truth, trust and vision.  Credible voices also warn about potential international interference in our upcoming election.  In the United States, questions still surround the last federal election, while comments about “fake news” abound. 

The United Nations notes that World Press Freedom Day offers opportunities to:

• Celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom;
• Assess the state of press freedom throughout the world;
• Defend the media from attacks on their independence, and
• Pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty (www.un.org).

The observance also highlights Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights upholding the right to freedom of opinion and expression, including the right to impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers.

In both 2018 and 2019, Reporters Without Borders ranked Canada 18^th out of 180 countries on its World Press Freedom Index.  Overall, the Paris-based organization pointed to a deterioration of media freedom around the world as the number of countries where journalists can work safely declines (rsf.org).  Earlier, the government of Canada announced it will co-host a conference on media freedom with Britain July 10-11 this year in London.

World Press Freedom Day was inspired by the 1991 UNESCO* seminar held in Windhoek, Namibia.  The Windhoek Declaration focused on promoting a free, independent and pluralistic African press.

This year’s international celebrations are being held May 1-3 in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.  Globally, about 100 other events are planned to mark the observance, including a celebration May 2 in Ottawa sponsored by the Canadian Committee for World Press Freedom (www.ccwpf-cclpm.ca).

In his 2019 message for the church’s World Communications Day, Pope Francis emphasized the importance of real -- not only virtual -- human communities.  He highlighted the urgent need for the Internet and social media to be at the service of truth and respectful relationships which foster communion (w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/communications/documents/papa-francesco_20190124_messaggio-comunicazioni-sociali.html).

Questions for Reflection

• How does what we read, see and hear through various forms of media shape our perspectives and choices?  How does what we’re not seeing, or hearing do the same?

• Highly concentrated ownership of mainline media in Canada can restrict our sources of information.  What alternative sources of news, information and commentary do/might we choose to explore?

• How might we and our religious/faith communities support and encourage younger media personnel and journalism students?

~ Roma De Robertis, SCIC 

Roma De Robertis is a Sister of Charity of the Immaculate Conception based in Saint John, NB.  She has worked in Catholic journalism and justice and peace ministries.  During her current sabbatical, she has been staying with Sisters of St. Joseph first in North Bay and now in London, ON. 

(*UNESCO is the UN’s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization based in Paris, France.)     

A Wall Never Comes Up Trump

From day one of my life, they were there.  First, an invisible, ideological one, then the visible one, dividing east from west Germany.  It stretched for 66 miles from north to south. To detain those defecting from oppressive East Germany, the Berlin Wall was erected.  But I am running ahead of myself.  I was born in East Germany before the wall was built. In Wolfen, just a short distance from Leipzig where such famous people as Richard Wagner and Clara Schumann were born and where Johann Sebastian Bach worked for many years, I was born on the wrong side of the wall. 

Walls! All this talk about erecting a new wall in-stead of building bridges. It seems we have always built walls.  Walls, to either keep people out or in.  But, eventually, all walls fail or fall.  The wall of Jericho, the oldest city wall built about 8000 BC.  The Great Wall of China built around 500 years ago. The Western Wall, also known as The Wailing Wall, built by Herod the Great.  These are some of the most iconic walls that have been erected over the years.  Perhaps all walls should be dubbed ‘wailing walls’, be they those visible ones made of concrete or brick and mortar, or those invisible ones we put up internally to protect ourselves from those who might harm us.  Walls tend to make us wail or weep silently.

But let me come back to the walls closer to home.  As my life began behind a wall, I tend to have a deep-seated dislike for walls of any kind.  With all this talk about the Trump wall going up, old memories of walls raise their ugly heads.  Long story short, my family managed to flee to West Germany. I have vague memories of time spent in a Flüchtlingslager in the Black Forest.  These would have been the equivalent of present-day camps where millions of refugees live these days.  Like so many Germans at the time, after a few years we were on the move again.  This time we crossed the ocean to South Africa, another country familiar with walls and divisions separating the ‘European’ from the ‘non-European’, the black from the white.  It has been a seemingly never-ending story of walls.

The irony of the never-ending story of walls is this - those made of mortar and bricks can be torn down.  The invisible ones we build within our inner sanctum tend to be incredibly resis-tant to being torn down.  With blood, sweat and tears, and only brick by brick, so to say, can we set ourselves free.  So, how do we live healthy lives while we carry the memories of those old concrete walls as well as the reality of our inner walls?  Forgiveness extended to others, and to myself, has been key for me.  No, it is not easy.  Yes, it takes a very long time.  It takes time to recognize the inherent dignity in those who have wronged us.  It takes time, a very long time often, to begin to love those who have hurt us.  When I struggle to turn the proverbial ‘other cheek’ it helps to recall the guidance Jesus offers, which is always challenging and counterintuitive.  Finding common ground with those who have hurt us, is counterintuitive, for our natural inclination is to be angry and resentful instead of loving. However, when we come to a place of understanding of the one who has hurt us, as well as of ourselves, it may also be a place of peace, where walls are no longer needed. 

- Sr. Magdalena Vogt, cps

Is Democracy dying?

When I was an undergraduate student of history, I studied the bedrock institutions of our democratic governments in Canada, Europe, the United States and elsewhere.  I had great hope in the creation of the United Nations and was young enough and untested enough to believe that they would last and although not perfect, they were strong enough to meet the challenges of days ahead. 

Many years later, we are living through a seismic shift of populist nationalism – in the United States and in many European countries.  Even here in Canada, we are not immune to the anti-immigrant rage.  The conversations are changing and not in a way that is good. It may be the result that we think we are affluent enough that we can put up walls of protectionism closing doors, building walls and turning us against each other.  This is disturbing because that is not the bedrock of our democratic countries.  The challenges of our global world touch every country.  We need leaders to take us into global co-operation.  After all, the future of our one home (our planet) is at stake.

Probably rooted in fear, we may want to turn away because we do not know how to address any perceived ensuring threat.  However, I want to say that we should host more conversations that inspire each other to be inclusive, and practice our active citizenship and celebrate our collective diverse cultures.   Our very lives and our future depends on it.  None of us should opt out!

Sister Joan Atkinson, CSJ

Office for Systemic Justice

Faith and politics during a federal election campaign

Just think about it: a federal election is a privileged time to live out your faith!

Members of the ecumenical group Citizens for Public Justice (CPJ) believe that faithful citizenship demands that we design, debate and promote policies and practices which reflect God’s call for love, justice and the flourishing of Creation. After all, Christian values are not only meant to inform how we live our private lives – they must also be reflected in how we act in our communities.

And promoting democracy entails more than a quick trip to the polls, just as much as living one’s faith includes more than one hour of Sunday observance. Make no mistake about it – there is a link between being a person of faith and getting involved in political activities, all year round!

Election periods can offer enhanced opportunities to reflect on the values we want to see expressed by our government leaders, to engage in respectful dialogue with our neighbours on important issues, to evaluate the commitments of prospective office-holders and to hold them to their promises.

The real question becomes not “if” people of faith should get involved in elections, but “how” best to do so.

CPJ has prepared an Election Bulletin designed to assist us to answer this question. You can access this resource at http://cpj.ca/election2015 There are three main issues that CPJ is mandated to work on throughout the year: poverty in Canada, ecological justice (especially climate change) and refugee rights. Each section of the bulletin explains what guidance faith-based values offer on these issues, and presents three or four questions that we might ask of candidates for election. Many CPJ members make sure that a couple of copies of this resource are placed in a handy spot near their door – quickly available if a candidate comes knocking! Some congregations are holding study sessions with the guide.

The fourth issue CPJ addresses might be the most important theme: democracy. While we all have certain political views, people of faith should be able to disagree gracefully, and be able to listen to and learn from others. Now wouldn’t THAT be a useful lesson for Canadian politicians!

Guest Blogger: Joe Gunn

Joe has served for 7 years as Executive Director at Citizens for Public Justice, www.cpj.ca , a member-driven, faith-based public policy organization in Ottawa focused on ecological justice, refugee rights and poverty elimination. Previously, he was Director of the Office of Social Affairs for the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops in Ottawa.

Recovering Democracy : Our Task as Citizens

There is a disconnect between government, citizens, and their elected representatives. Low voting rates, social media, Idle-No-More, Occupy Wall Street, and anti-pipeline protesters on BC’s Burnaby Mountain indicate that many of us believe that our Government is unresponsive to its citizens and to the welfare of society. 

Parliamentary democracy was established on the principle that members of parliament represent their electors and are responsible for calling government, i.e., the prime minister or provincial premier and his or her cabinet, to account. Thus they are to act independently in choosing a leader. Changes in the past century have resulted in leaders being elected by their political parties and being thus perceived as responsible to the party, not to members of their caucus. Increasingly power has been centered in the leader on whom members rely for nomination, promotion, recognition, or continued membership in the caucus. Brent Rathgeber was compelled to resign from the Conservative Party for refusing to amend his private member’s bill on public salary disclosures. Bill Casey was expelled from this same caucus in 2007 when he opposed a bill which violated the Atlantic Accord regarding the rights of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland to oil and gas revenues. Mr. Casey has criticized the Conservatives for actions such as instructing members how they are to vote in committees or having staff bureaucrats script “responses” in Question Period which are not answers but simply attacks on the opposition.  Mr. Casey is now the new Liberal nominee in a Nova Scotia riding for the coming federal election.

Back benchers speak from “talking points” rather than conviction; aware of their lack of power, they avoid honest debate or even attendance in Parliament. Many politicians leave Ottawa on Thursday or early Friday to spend time with constituents, tending to requests, concerns and complaints because the power of constituents to re-elect them outweighs fruitless efforts to make a difference in governing our nation. Powerful corporations and lobby groups rather than ordinary MPs influence policy and governance. Is it any wonder that cynicism has replaced respect for politicians and that our most qualified citizens are reluctant to enter politics.

And yet, recent events portend hope of a return to a situation in which leaders are accountable to elected representatives rather than MPs or MPPs being accountable to the leader. MP Michael Chong has received support from all political parties with his private member’s bill which posits new rules for riding nominations and provision for MP’s to remove a leader by secret ballot. In Manitoba where Premier Greg Selinger’s conflict with his cabinet led to resignation of several ministers, Mr. Selinger has been forced to back down with a promise to hold a leadership convention in March, 2015. All of us need to support a return to democracy by using our voices and pens to hold our elected representatives accountable for their actions on our behalf. If we want our most ethical and capable citizens to govern Canada we have to demand changes that will restore the rightful place of those whom we choose to represent us.

Pat McKeon CSJ