New Website for Catholic Media Journal

Hi. Last night I redirected CatholicMediaJournal.com to a redesigned website on another hosting service. Thanks for visiting this blog during the past 2+ years, and I hope you'll check out the new site for news and conversations about Catholic media and media coverage of the Catholic Church.

Jim Coyle

Catholics Alive and Well in the Blogosphere

As I'm writing this, the Catholic Blog Directory shows there are 1,281 Catholic Blogs. (I haven't counted them myself.) Technorati today identifies 3,759 "blogs about Catholic" (as I was writing this sentence, 4 more "Catholic blogs" were added to the list). On February 11, Anne Helmond mentioned in The Blogherald that Technorati reported tracking 112.8 million blogs while wondered about blog counting itself:

I don’t think the blogosphere is quite mature yet. Technorati currently states it is tracking over 112.8 million blogs, a number which obviously does not include all the 72.82 million Chinese blogs as counted by The China Internet Network Information Center. Blog statistics often concern the English language blogosphere but we should not forget about the millions of other blogs that are not always included in estimations.

How do you find the Right Blog for You? Talk to your friends about blogs they read. Check Catholic websites for mentions of blogs. Search online. Find out what Catholic blogs are popular, as shown by blog awards results. Googling for Catholic Blogs, you might have discovered that nominations are open for the 2008 Catholic Blog Awards - the 5th year of the awards. The two-week nomination period ends Friday, February 29, and voting will be open March 3-17, 2008. All the details are available online, along with a kind of "History of Catholic Blogging" reflected in the lists of each year's winners - which goes all the way back to 2004.



However you find them, it's important to read the blogs, and read about the blogger. Find what you like, what engages you, what you get passionate about. Haven't found that yet? Keep looking...or better yet, think about adding your voice to the online conversation by posting comments on the blogs - or starting your own.

Call In Your Experience of the Clinton Pro-Life Protest

The Communication Arts Department at Franciscan University would like to hear about your participation in the Pro-Life demonstration during Bill Clinton's visit to Steubenville February 17. Share your experience for possible inclusion in an upcoming audio podcast. Tell us why you participated and what it was like to be there. Call 740-314-1830

Thanks,
Dr. Jim Coyle

Media Ethics and the Church

Following up on a question in class yesterday, I've added 14 links of Journalism/Media Codes of Ethics to my del.icio.us webpage. It's a collection - a sampling - of professional journalism organizations' codes of ethics or professional practices, as well as an updated bibliography of journalism ethics resources from the Poynter Institute. It's encouraging to see so many policies and statements, but it seems that not all journalists and other professional communicators follow their industries' codes.

No wonder Pope Benedict XVI is calling for development of "info-ethics" in today's information-driven world. Journalism is an important aspect of that.

Jim Coyle

Franciscan U Students at the United Nations: Looking Forward and Looking Back

During our 2005 Spring Break, 25 Franciscan University of Steubenville students and four faculty members traveled to United Nations headquarters in New York and spent the week at the UN's "Beijing Plus 10" conference on the Status of Women. Working with the talents of the Communications students and staff, that week we inaugurated Franciscan University's Podcasting services - which have had more than 100,000 downloads since March, 2005. As another means of sharing our experiences there, we established a Web-based communication outreach, Catholic NGO Voice, focusing on issues involving authentic Catholic Human Rights around the world. The NGO Voice website is presently being redesigned and will be online again by late February, but our many podcasts are available online. Several of the participating students and staff members were interviewed by Vatican Radio and featured on their global English language programmes.

Upon returning to Franciscan University, students and faculty attending the "Beijing + 10" conference shared about their experiences and impact at a live presentation to the University community. The live reports concluded with some of the photos and comments recorded in New York. On this small screen, I invite you to see and hear that closing presentation:

Franciscan University students and faculty members have participated in several other UN commissions since then, and during our Spring Break next month, students and faculty members will be spending a week at the UN's 2008 Commission on the Status of Women, with reports throughout the week on the NGO Voice website and Podcast site. We'll let you know when the updated website is up so you can follow the story as we return to the United Nations.

Jim Coyle

Pope Benedict XVI's U.S. Visit

As announced in November, 2007, Pope Benedict XVI will make his first visit as the spiritual leader of the Catholic Church to the United States this April. Pope Benedict XVI will arrive in Washington on April 15, travel to New York City April 18, and return to the Vatican on April 20.

The trip is historic, especially since the Holy Father will address the United Nations General Assembly, meet with President George Bush and visit Ground Zero. There will be several public events during the visit, including Masses at Nationals Park in Washington and Yankee Stadium in New York.

The schedule of events, along with other information about the Papal visit, is available online on the Papal Visit website from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Planning Triumph of the Cross Cathedral - 2005-2007

I mentioned in my Church and the Media class this morning that I have been a member of the Building Committee for Triumph of the Cross, a new parish church which would also be the new cathedral for the Diocese of Steubenville. The Building Committee included members from the six parishes in the city of Steubenville that would be closed and form the new Triumph of the Cross Parish.

Meeting weekly, our first couple of months were devoted to studying Built of Living Stones: Art, Architecture and Worship, a document issued by the U.S. Bishops Conference in 2000 to guide people planning church building and renovation projects. As stated in the book's preface,

The document begins with a theological reflection on the liturgy and liturgical art and architecture. Since decisions about church art and architecture should always be based upon the theology of the eucharistic assembly and its liturgical action and the understanding of the Church as the house of God on earth, the first chapter is foundational for the chapters that follow.

The remaining chapters addressed liturgical principles and practices as well as practical architectural principles. It is a rich source of ideas about worship and buildings designed for workship.

We took advantage of online media opportunities by regularly sharing about our work through a website for the new parish, posting early floor plans, renderings and computer images we received from the architects. I invite you to take a look at what we've posted:

• Gallery of Images and Audio Recordings


• Building Committee/Parish Blog


• Parish Website

My birthday is November 18, the day the Roman Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the Dedication of the Basilicas of Saints Peter and Paul. Not just Saints Peter and Paul, but the Basilicas named after them. Whether or not it's coincidental, I have so often been aware of the effects a church building itself can have on my prayer and worship. It has indeed been a blessing to be a member of the Triumph of the Cross Building Committee.

Jim Coyle

Inter Mirifica - On the Means of Social Communication

Man's genius has, with God's help, produced marvellous technical inventions from creation, especially in our times. The Church, our mother, is particularly interested in those which directly touch man's spirit and which have opened up new avenues of easy communication of all kinds of news, of ideas and orientations. Chief among them are those means of communication which of their nature can reach and influence not merely single individuals but the very masses and even the whole of human society. These are the press, the cinema, radio, television and others of a like nature. These can rightly be called "the means of social communication".

With these words, the Second Vatican Council began the Roman Catholic Church's reflection on the media and called for the development of pastoral instruction on the proper use of the instruments of social communication. Promulgated on December 4, 1963, "Inter Mirifica - On the Means of Social Communication" was the second document from the Council, and is available online from the Vatican's website.

The Vatican's Media Part 2: Radio

At the Vatican on February 12, 1931, radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi spoke these historic words:

I have the highest honor of announcing that in only a matter of seconds the Supreme Pontiff, Pope Pius XI, will inaugurate the Radio Station of the Vatican City State. The electric radio waves will transport to all the world his words of peace and blessing.

Today Vatican Radio broadcasts on 5 continents, offering programs in 40 different languages produced by two hundred journalists from 61 different countries. In addition to shortwave radio transmissions, Vatican Radio offers programs via satellite and the Internet, adding Podcast distribution in 2005.

Vatican Radio is "The Voice of the Pope and the Church in dialogue with the world."

The Vatican's Media Part 1: Newspaper

The oldest of the mass media used today by the Vatican is L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican's newspaper, first published in 1861. Distributed throughout the world, weekly editions are published in 6 different languages and a Polish edition is published monthly. The Vatican's website offers a brief history of the newspaper that highlights several undoubtedly intriguing stages leading to its position as "the Holy See's official organ of information" in 1885. The website offers this observation:

Faithful to its origins, in these 146 years of life L'Osservatore Romano has continued its work of the service of the truth. With enthusiasm and with no fear of sounding a discordant note, it has documented the history of peoples and nations. Above all, it has continued its privileged service, making known the Magisterium of the Successor of Peter.

A PBS List of Links to Catholic Information Resources

Shortly after the death of Pope John Paul II in 2005, PBS, the USA's Public Television Service, and Britain's BBC produced a program titled White Smoke which addressed some of the issues facing the Church as we waited for the start of the conclave of Cardinals to elect the new Pope. One of the show's resources still online is a list of links to several sites by and about the Catholic Church. It's a good starting point for Church information.