Journalists must not foment fear when covering issues or events such as forced migration due to war or famine, Pope Francis has said.
While criticism and exposing wrongdoing is "legitimate and, I would add, necessary", reporters must never let their words become "a weapon of destruction" against people or nations, he told representatives of Italy's national association of journalists. About 400 people attended the audience in the Apostolic Palace.
Despite the major shifts in how news is produced and distributed, journalists who follow professional standards "remain the mainstay, a fundamental element for the vitality of a free and pluralist society," the Pope said.
