A Monk's Advice on Media

   Journalism professor Joe Marren has published an article in Media Ethics magazine, applying the thought of Thomas Merton to the field of American media. His article, "One Monk's Message: Establishing an Enlightened Ethic for the Media" was co-authored by philosophy professor Kimberly Blessing.
   In his 27 years as a cloistered Trappist monk, Merton wrote many books and articles about Catholic mysticism, Eastern spirituality, peace and social justice. He was an expert in Christian-Buddhist relations.
   Merton was concerned that the media have lost a sense of what truly matters. Marren and Blessing write about Merton's focus on truth as the ethical foundation for journalists and other media people, and they analyze his criticism that the media sometimes create false images.
   They conclude that, as Merton separated himself from the secular world, journalists can create a detachment that helps them maintain a critical perspective and report truth regardless of consequences.
   Read One Monk's Message (Media Ethics: Spring 2010, Vol 21, No. 2)