Smear the Pope
Diane Winston, Knight Chair in Media and Religion at USC and friend of The Revealer, writes at her blog, The Scoop, about criticism The New York Times has received for it’s recent story about Pope Benedict‘s role in covering up sexual abuse in the church:
Critics complain that the Times is out to get the Church and Pope Benedict, in particular. They cite theological inaccuracies, historical misunderstandings and editorial intimations to justify their stance. But they miss the forest for the trees. The intricacies of priestly ordination, Vatican law and institutional preservation are important to the story, but they’re not the point. The point is the church’s choice: opting to safeguard the institution, its priests and reputation at the expense of children and families. The Times is, as any news outlet should be, interested in making sense of this decision and, of course, grabbing readers’ attention.