The News Media and Theology
Many years ago, when the New York Times ran an article about the Vatican's recent decision to alter Canon Law regarding the question of dissent from "definitive" church teachings, a local television station was frantically looking for a theologian to sit for an interview that would be broadcast the next day. I was one of the priests who was approached to do this interview. A golden opportunity? A nightmare is more the image that comes to mind.
At this point in my life, I do not do TV interviews on matters of theology. I did one several years ago, only to have the station seriously distort what I said by splicing an answer I gave with a different question than I was asked. The result was a number of angry phone calls. I don't mind getting such calls when they result from a point that I actually intended to make; but, like many others in theology and other academic fields, I object vehemently to having to defend myself against careless misrepresentations of what I said.
The problem is, I have rarely been interviewed by a journalist who has presented my ideas accurately. I am almost always misquoted or taken out of context. This is one of the reasons I always want to run in the other direction when I am asked for an interview. Another, perhaps more significant, reason is that newspaper articles and TV news programs do not lend themselves to nuanced, careful presentations of complex issues.
Whenever I hear a commercial for a news broadcast that contains a phrase like, "On tonight's six o'clock news, an in-depth report on X," I have to laugh. There can be no "in-depth" report of any really significant issue in the space of a four-minute or 2-4 column news segment. Particularly with regard to issues of theology and doctrine, it is impossible to do justice to a topic within such a framework. When one knows that the typical half-hour interview is going to be edited down to 30 seconds or a few quoted lines on a page, it is hard to get enthusiastic about speaking with the press. Since there is no way I can ensure the accuracy of the presentation (e.g., by having the right to review what is to be broadcast or published, and having a say in the final edit), I am at the mercy of the interviewer.
I once did a radio interview with a local station. The interview lasted a half hour, and was broadcast without alteration a few weeks later. This to me is a more acceptable forum for the treatment of theological issues. Nothing was edited out or taken out of context, so if there were any misunderstandings, I had no one to blame but myself. But even this forum can be too truncated for many issues.
Most theological positions are the result of years of reading and thinking and debating and refining. For me, the best forum for presenting these ideas to the public is the extended piece of writing: a blog, a scholarly article or essay, or a full-length book.
Unfortunately, some people don't want to do that much work. They want a quick "sound bite," not an extended and nuanced treatment of an issue. That may be fine for some topics, but not for theology. St. Augustine once said that things that take a lot of effort and discipline are often more worthwhile than things that come easy. At least when it comes to theology, I think he's right.
Does all this mean I never want to talk to the press? Frankly, I'd be happy never to be interviewed again. I guess I am still willing to take the risk once in a while (at least for the print media, not for TV!) -- but I will always do it with reluctance and some trepidation.
Fr. Dennis Tamburello, O.F.M.