Pope Francis shares a laugh with a group of faithful as he poses for a family photo, at the end of his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square, at the Vatican, Wednesday May 15, 2019. (Andrew Medichini/Associated Press)VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis urged foreign correspondents on Saturday to humbly use the power of the press to search for the truth and give voice to the voiceless, saying journalism is an important tool to counter the hatred, prejudice and fake news. In an audience with the Foreign Press Association in Rome, Francis also urged journalists to not fall prey to sending click-bait headlines and half-reported stories, saying errors can not only misrepresent the truth but damage entire communities. Francis kept his distance from the press in his native Argentina. The association’s president, Patricia Thomas of The Associated Press, told Francis that more and more journalists are being killed, threatened and imprisoned for merely reporting the news.

Source: Washington Post May 18, 2019 14:15 UTC