'... when you find yourself in the place just right': Discerning God's will

Reading Camp is a Mountain of Fun!

Part of the Heart of Our Mission: Announcements from around the diocese

ACC affirms Communion-wide listening process, members' voluntary withdrawal

Dean Mombo, member of Eames Commission, speaks in Diocese of Lexington

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From the Bishop: A Summer Memory

Reflection: Coming home with MaryChun

X-ercizing: Who hopes for something he can't see?

Editoral: Seeking facts in a posturing on-line world

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Seeking facts in a posturing on-line world

Advocate Editorial

The quantity of information sources appears to be exploding exponentially, while the quality is diminishing — if the basis for quality has anything to do with fact. Case in point: Three different headlines from Nottingham, England, report on the same session of the Anglican Consultative Council.

ACC suspends North American Churches (The Living Church)

ACC affirms communion-wide listening process; members withdraw voluntarily (Episcopal News Service)

Resolutions passed today ACC-13: listening process passed unanimously (Anglican Communion News Service)

Reporters from all three media organizations were in attendance at the same meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council and have given the “facts” as they see them. If a video camera had been trained on the proceedings, one wonders what it would have shown?

The severity of the problem is emphasized by the “special message” from the president of the American Anglican Council, (not usually quoted in these pages) writing in response to a “major breaking story” by the on-line site known as Virtuosity — which specializes in inflammatory messages vilifying individuals with whom the writer does not agree. AAC’s David Anderson, who has been known to skew a fact or two along the way himself, has it right about this particular brand of so-called “reporting,” as he critiques those who rush to print before the conclusion of meetings, fail to check facts with other reputable sources, do not take into account that Primates being interviewed in English rather than their primary language are apt to miss carefully nuanced questions — and may be wrong about some of their facts — at the very least, failing to set their remarks in cultural context.

In this case, the on-line site hyped that the Global South Primates would be meeting in Egypt to break with Canterbury and the Anglican Communion and form a new Communion. Word is that the facts are wrong. There is a meeting in October for leaders of the Global South — a meeting that has been in the planning for years — the third such meeting. Archbishop Rowan Williams has been invited to attend, and planners have reason to believe that he plans to do so. As Anderson says, hardly the mark of a rebellion.

The Advocate continues to remind its readers that it is always important to realize that there is a filter of perspective through which they read or hear any “reports,” a filter that begins with the reporter and news organization. A few are entitled to bear the title “journalist” – with separation of fact and opinion clearly labeled. In this era of Web sites and blogs, unfortunately, anyone can set up shop as a news source, regardless of their intent. And it is only the critical analysis and common sense of the reader or listener that will separate it out.

Know truth, and truth shall set you free, it says in John. When in doubt, look to the center, and to those sources which clearly state the difference between fact and opinion, and have a system of fact-checkers and editors who still believe in who, what, when, where and why.

Advocate Online Staff:

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