Pope Leo XIV recently addressed participants at the MINDS International Association Conference, delivering a powerful message focused on the state of the media industry. He expressed deep concern over what he sees as a growing crisis in both the creation and consumption of news, calling for a strong resistance against commercial interests that can undermine journalistic integrity.
Speaking from the Clementine Hall in the Vatican, the Pope emphasized the importance of high-quality journalism, describing it as “a public good that we should all protect.” He specifically condemned the "degrading practice of so-called clickbait" as a form of communication that corrupts the truth. According to Leo XIV, the media landscape is facing significant challenges despite being in “the age of communication." He noted that both news organizations and their audiences are struggling.
"Those who consume information are also in crisis, often mistaking the false for the true and the authentic for the artificial," he stated, highlighting the shared responsibility of both news producers and consumers to critically evaluate media content. He underscored that "no one today can say, ‘I did not know,'" emphasizing the pervasiveness of information and the need for informed engagement.
The Pope also honored reporters working in dangerous areas, acknowledging the sacrifices made by those who have lost their lives covering wars. “If today we know what is happening in Gaza, Ukraine, and every other land bloodied by bombs, we largely owe it to them,” Leo XIV acknowledged. He repeated his plea for the release of journalists imprisoned for their work, a sentiment he first voiced after his election. He asserted that "Doing the work of a journalist can never be considered a crime, but it is a right that must be protected."
He called free access to information "a pillar that upholds the edifice of our societies," emphasizing its crucial role in a functioning society. Referencing Pope Francis's January 2025 address, Leo XIV highlighted the challenges news organizations face in balancing economic viability with ethical reporting. He quoted Francis’s call for “courageous entrepreneurs, courageous information engineers, so that the beauty of communication is not corrupted.”
The Pope expanded on this point, observing that news organizations must balance "the economic sustainability of the company with the protection of the right to accurate and balanced information," acknowledging that these principles are “unfortunately not always shared” across the industry. He recognized the unique pressures faced by agency journalists who must “write quickly, under pressure, even in very complex and dramatic situations,” deeming their work to require “competence, courage and a sense of ethics."
Leo XIV expressed concerns about the growing impact of automated systems, questioning, “Algorithms generate content and data at a scale and speed never seen before. But who controls them?” He also inquired about the direction and purpose of artificial intelligence, cautioning against allowing technology to "replace human beings" and warning that “information and algorithms that govern it today are not in the hands of a few.”
The address concluded with a quote from Hannah Arendt's “The Origins of Totalitarianism," noting that totalitarianism flourishes when “people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction and the distinction between true and false no longer exist.” Leo XIV presented journalists as "a barrier against those who, through the ancient art of lying, seek to create divisions in order to rule by dividing" and "a bulwark of civility against the quicksand of approximation and post-truth.” He advocated for source transparency, accountability, quality, and objectivity to "restore the role of citizens as protagonists in the system."
The Pope ended his address with a powerful plea: “Never sell out your authority!”