US Bishops Must Master the Sound Bite

US Bishops Must Master the Sound Bite | David F. Pierre, Jr. | Catholic World Report



Going on the media offensive and strengthening public relations will protect children and educate the public.

Last August in
Omaha, Bishop Daniel Conlon of Joliet, Illinois delivered a speech entitled,
“Help for Bishops in Rebuilding Trust.” The talk was designed to encourage the
lay faithful in speaking up about all of the progress that the Catholic Church
has made in providing safe environments for children and protecting kids in
light of the abuse scandals.

“You may be in a
position to be pastoral assistants to bishops in binding up the Church’s wounds
and restoring trust. I hope God calls you to that task and equips you for it,” Bishop
Conlon said.

However, more
than halfway through his speech, in which he pointed out the urgent need for
lay people to spread the Church’s message, Bishop Conlon quipped that the
“credibility” of bishops was “shredded” when it came to the issue of child sex
abuse.

Uh-oh.

Media outlets
immediately jumped all over the opportunity to report that a Catholic bishop
had announced that the bishops’ credibility was “shredded.” The bishop’s remark
had all the traits of a terrific headline; “R. Daniel Conlon, Catholic Bishop,
Says Church’s Credibility On Sex Abuse Is ‘Shredded’” read the headline on David
Gibson’s report for Religion News Service.

Never mind that
the words were frequently taken out of their original context—Conlon’s larger
point was about empowering lay people to fulfill the Church’s role of reaching
out to victims and promoting a message of healing. The enemies of the Church
had all of the ammunition it needed, and the damage was done.

The importance of the sound bite

Conlon’s episode
serves as an invaluable lesson to the Church when it comes to making speeches,
issuing off-handed remarks, composing articles, and dealing with the media. We
live in a culture of the sound bite, and the enemies of the Church are ready to
seize on this.

In a sound-bite
culture, context and honesty are easily thrown aside. Bishops and spokespeople
need to understand that many in the media are always seeking out anything
negative with which to hammer the Catholic Church. Words must be chosen
extremely carefully. The Church’s enemies don’t give a rip about context or if
you “meant something else.”

Many enemies of
the Church have become masters of the sound bite. David Clohessy, the national director
of the anti-Catholic group SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests)
continually rails against bishops who allegedly “ignore, conceal, and enable
heinous child sex crimes.” The words make a great
sound bite; they look good, and they catch people’s attention. Journalists love
this, and many could not care less what the actual facts are.

Catholic
officials and diocesan spokespeople need to utilize strong, concise, and
engaging sound bites. Such a strategy will not only fortify the Church’s
struggling public relations, but it will also educate the public about the
unrivaled advances it has taken to protect kids.

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