Reflection

The enormous service which truth-tellers perform is widely recognised, though often these actions are costly for those who bring events to light. We learn that among those nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize this year is the US soldier Bradley Manning, who has been charged with 22 counts in a US military court for turning over a massive cache of classified US documents to anti-secrecy site WikiLeaks. 

Other nominations include US political scientist Gene Sharp, known for his theory of non-violent resistance which inspired some of the key figures behind the Arab Spring; Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki, who was brought to power in 2011 by the revolution in his country, and the television news channel Al-Jazeera. It is well worth watching this news channel to acquire  a new slant on stories across the world. Their fearless reporting, often in circumstances where other news gatherers were banned or afraid to go, has given massive support to democracy campaigners.

Whistleblowers

The importance of whistleblowers, people who may risk their own livelihoods to root out corruption or stop abuse, is recognised by government. There is always the temptation to opt for the easy life, doing and saying nothing. But then we find Jesus himself accusing us as he accuses Simon Peter: ‘Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’ (Mark 8.33)

Every day we learn more about the numbers of people who must have known about underhand practices by journalists, private detectives and even the police. Glen Mulcaire sent voicemail transcripts ‘daily’ to The News of the World, we are told. 

A senior police officer tells of corrupt payments from News International.

Those who bring us the news have a tremendous responsibility: we rely on them to expose wrongdoing, as in the Watergate Scandal, and to tell the news which authoritarian regimes would like to hide. A case in point is the need to report freely about all candidates for election in Russia. Yet, on the other hand, journalists themselves have been found to be corrupt. Truth telling requires real courage.

Believing in the news

And finally, those who believe in the power of the news will not be silenced. Whatever you think of Rupert Murdoch, you have to admire his commitment and drive in launching the Sun on Sunday last week. Its sales of over 3 million proved there was a real gap in the market. And presumably its 92 pages had to be filled without resorting to underhand tactics. 

Prayer

We pray for all involved in bring us news:

•for journalists who interview powerful leaders, and must question without fear or favour;

• for journalists who must go to places of tragedy, and report bad news;

•for journalists who research corruption and wrongdoing, financial scandals and illegal activity;

•for journalists who are tempted to wrongdoing, trespassing on privacy and causing distress to those whom they report;

•for members of the public, tempted to sell stories about the private lives of people in the public eye;

• for whistleblowers who speak out to stop wrongdoing and abuses of power;

•for those who bring the plight of people in the poorest nations to our attention, that we may respond with compassion;

•for journalists who risk their lives to report from war zones, and where there is civil strife.

For all whose lives have been taken because they reported fearlessly, we give you thanks, Lord. 

May they rest in peace and rise in glory. 

Amen.

Questions

Look at some news together. You may start with a collection of different newspapers, or record television news from USA, Britain, Al-Jazeera, etc.

• Do they all choose the same items as ‘top stories’?

• Why does each paper chose particular stories?

• Why do some papers/news channels omit things you consider important?

•The Guardian quotes a former editor as saying ‘Comment is free, but facts are sacred’. What do you think of this?

•How is Christianity reported? Are Christians their own worst enemies in this? 

Action 

You might watch the film The Whistleblower, which tells the story of a Nebraska policewoman who served as a peacekeeper in post-war Bosnia and outed the United Nations for covering up a sex scandal. (It has a 15 rating). It could prompt a discussion about the importance of bringing the truth to light, and the costs involved.

Young People

You might try the suggestion about news coverage suggested in Questions (above). Or it may be valuable to focus on a local issue, see how it is reported in the local news, and campaign about something in your own neighbourhood. Local news media will be interested to hear that young people are passionate about something.

Tom Ambrose is a former director of communications who still follows the news carefully.

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