My hope is that we not attempt to repeal past legislation at General Convention. It's a bad practice ... a bad legislative practice. I would far more prefer us to say where we are today in 2009 ... to make a positive statement about our desire to include all people fully in this church and that we be clear about who we are as the Episcopal Church.
That's the verbatim.
Here's how "The Living Church" reported the story ... with the headline: P.B. Opposes Revisiting Resolution B033
Do you notice the part they left off the quote? The second half of the sentence that included "to make a positive statement about our desire to include all people fully in this church."In response to a question regarding the repeal of B033, the resolution approved at General Convention in 2006 that recommends caution in consecrating bishops whose manner of life might cause distress to other members of the Anglican Communion, Bishop Jefferts Schori said B033 would be debated, but that she opposes its repeal."
“I would far more prefer that we say here is where we are today,” she said, adding that it was a more positive way to express the mind of the church."
Probably not an accident. The Presiding Bishop -- in answering Zoll's question -- made it very clear that believes the way forward is a positive statement about inclusion ... and we know that such a statement would indeed move us beyond B033. And there are pending resolutions that do precisely that and we look forward to their adoption in Anaheim.
By leaving off that second half of her response, TLC reframes her comments to fit their headline. We're going to see more of this before we see less ... and the time to start challenging this kind of shoddy journalism is now.
The Presiding Bishop deserves the respect of having her quotes fully represented in ALL media outlets ... and an publication such as The Living Church has absolutely no excuse for not accurately reporting the news -- ALL the news -- even the news that doesn't work with the headline they've already written for the piece they plan to print.
Take a minute to write or call them today and urge them to raise their journalistic standards up a notch -- to rise to the ethical standards we expect from those reporting on the critical issues facing this church we all love and serve.
You can comment on the online article here.
You can email them here.
You can use their online "contact us" page to send feedback here.
Or you can call them at: 414-276-5420
Please join me in making our voices heard and let them know that half a quote is NOT better than none and that the challenges of being the church in the world demand better than we're getting from "The Living Church."
3 comments:
Here was my comment:
As a member of the audience in Anaheim yesterday, I heard first hand the Presiding Bishop's reply to the question regarding B033.
I heard her WHOLE reply ... "I would far more prefer us to say where we are today in 2009 ... to make a positive statement about our desire to include all people fully in this church and that we be clear about who we are as the Episcopal Church."
It is a shame that you don't give readers of The Living Church the benefit of the Presiding Bishop's response in its entirety ... for one arrives at a very different conclusion on where the PB "is" on B033 if one factors her "preference" for a "positive statement about our desire to include all people fully."
If this is the kind of journalism we can expect from TLC moving toward General Convention -- quotes abridged to match headlines supporting a specific legislative agenda -- then it does ... to quote another long time church journalist ... "make the heart sad."
I emailed them.
Keep up the good work!
hit 'em where it hurts - cancel your subscription. I'm sick of TLC
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