This year encouraged by Pope Francis to build a “journalism of peace”, Comshalom@Raquel Reis had an interview with Eduardo Martins, he is a Shalom Life missionary who serves in the Communication Advisory of the Community as director of a national TV Show for young people called “Fazendo Barulho” (Making Noise) on Rede Viva Channel in Brazil.
Do you think social communication can be used for peace? How does the Shalom Catholic Community try to do so?
Certainly social communication can be an instrument of peace, as everything that was produced by men can reflect peace. Mass media has a very important mission because of its coverage, because today we have a virtual continent where the message can reach almost anywhere in the earth even to the most remote and there is no better message than peace, the announcement of Jesus. Our community seeks to respond to this need by investing in its communication methods such as magazines, TV and radio programs, social networks and portals, to be an effective presence in the announcement of this peace.
Our attitude should be just as the Holy Father encourages, which emphasises the commitment to the truth, more and more media with ethical principles, serious and true based on the faith and the teaching of the Church are necessary. It is up to Christians as announcers of peace to be rigorous in the production of content, seeking the truth of the facts because there will always be space for the truth and the means of communication must be united in this commitment. In the world of fake news there is always space for true news. Truth must prevail and this must be our commitment as communicators.
How can truth set us free and how to announce it for young people?
The power of truth promotes real freedom and I believe that true news must be announced in the clearest and most direct way possible for young people, trying to dialogue with their own language in a simple way without hassles because fake news arrive very fast. In order to reach the young, the truth must be presented through the wisdom of the Holy Spirit in a simple, clear and direct way, without ambiguities within the language and in ways dedicated solely to them.
