At least as far as the media is concerned.
My wife and kids went to the inaugral “March for the Babies” here in Melbourne on Saturday morning. Unfortunately, I couldn’t join them – there was an unfortunate clash of scheduling that saw me at the ordination of our deacons that morning.
The march was held to mark the shameful anniversary of the passing of our liberal abortion laws here in Victoria. Cathy says there were “probably a thousand” people there.
Yet the ABC TV news that evening didn’t even mention it. Nor did The Sunday Age the next day. There was a mention that it was going to happen in Saturday’s Age (see this article), but then, suddenly, nothing. Deafening silence. Zilch.
I always say, in the ecumenical and interfaith business, that if you don’t get pictures and reports into the media, it might as well not have happened. I don’t think that this is the case with this march, I mean, I am sure that some good will have come from it, but… you see what I mean? How is a message to get out if the media just turn away and ignore an event like a thousand people marching on Parliament House on a Saturday Afternoon?
Good Lord, if it had been for a march to save the Yellow Breasted Whistling Parrot, it would have made the front page – even if only a tenth of the number turned up. But babies? Last year’s news.
I had this comment from a correspondant (who should get himself to the table quick smart if he wants a glass of port – the bottle seems to be running out – time to head for the cellar for a new one!)
“I hope you’re well. Just a follow up to your post. It might interest your readers to know that the March for the Babies was reported on the evening news for Seven news, I think, but might have been Nine.”
Maybe the answer to your question is “the Catholic Church should publish its own video news”.
xt3.com has some video, but it is more of an archive of past events. The technology is already here to allow a Catholic “6pm news”. People could watch it on their PC’s, and I bet in a year or two many people will be able to watch internet TV on the TV in their living rooms. I think media is changing, and within a few years people will pick and choose their viewing rather than sitting like sponges soaking up whatever the media moguls decide to give us.
Another important event that didn’t make the news this weekend is the canonisation of 4 saints, including the wonderful Fr Damien of the lepers, now known as St Joseph de Veuster. There is video of the event here:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Honolulu-HI/Father-Damien-de-Veuster/115017587111
which includes the ceremony itself and some entertaining videos leading up to the canonisations:
http://kgmb9.com/main/content/view/21869/
http://www.youtube.co/watch?v=ksdzXECNGNE
It was on Nine and once again Schutz THE AGE has shown that it is a paper that Christians need to boycott and in large numbers if any impact is to be made
We need more practising Catholics in the media! It all comes down to catholic education encouraging the youth to enter professions such as media, politics and law in order for real change to happen.
Can’t find it on the Herald Sun online either. There does seem to be a deliberate attempt to avoid it.
The problem with Paul’s idea is that we’re not really trying to convince the Catholics. It’s the MSM that we have to get this message into. Perhaps we should run some kind of “sponsor a journalist student” programme.
yes it was disappointing that there was little media coverage of that march. We travelled down from Sale with 2 babies under 2 and thought that there were loads of people. However as I have never taken part in demos in Melbourne before I am not sure if it was a success or not. I asked Denise Cameron from pro-life victoria and she said that it got good coverage on channel 7 (which I must have missed). I will be going again next year, and yes if it had been a demo for something stupid it would have made big headlines.