Pope Leo Comes Down Hard on…Clickbait

Pope Leo has denounced the “degrading” online media practice of “clickbait.” He made the comments during a Vatican conference with dozens of journalists. He praised journalists for their [dishonest and biased] coverage of Gaza and Ukraine.

“Communication must be freed from the misguided thinking that corrupts it, from unfair competition and the degrading practice of so-called clickbait,” the pope declared to roughly 150 members of the newswire group Minds International.

I’m not a fan of Clickbait, but there are so many more important things like the misinformation the media puts out.

Along with condemning clickbait, “the head of the Catholic Church praised the work reporters are doing from the war-torn front lines of Gaza and Ukraine.”

Those are the two things journalists lied about the most!

“Free access to information is a pillar that upholds the edifice of our societies, and for this reason, we are called to defend and guarantee it,” he said.

“Current events call for particular discernment and responsibility, and it is clear that the media has a crucial role in forming consciences and helping critical thinking.”

He hailed journalism as “a public good that we all should protect.”

It’s not always a “public good” and he should maybe qualify that statement. Media misinformation would have been a more important topic.

Pope Leo is out of touch. And I say this with respect for his position, but he isn’t going to be better than the last pope.