Child Abuse News: Essential or Extraneous?

by JWC
(Canada)

Child abuse is evil. Child abuse news reporting is not. In fact, in the opinion of this writer, child abuse news reporting by all forms of media has helped to reduce the total incidents of child abuse. The media has also helped to bring offenders to justice.

None of us enjoy reading child abuse news articles with headlines such as "Pope apologizes for Australian child abuse" or "Lewis couple indicted on charges of child abuse and rape" or "Child abuse cases exceed expectations." In fact most of you, like me, are appalled with such child abuse news headlines. Only the very, very sick would find entertainment in such headlines.

However, numerous child abuse news stories about parish priests molesting children were partially responsible for the Catholic Church's acknowledgment of these offences and their subsequent attempted cover ups by moving priests from parish to parish. This cover up resulted in other children being molested and in providing a safe haven for molesters.

Although we are unable to accurately measure the incidences of child abuse, either in the Catholic Church or in society as a whole, visible steps have and are being taken to reduce the abuse of children, steps such as changing state laws that act to protect the most vulnerable of our society: children.

People constantly vilify the media for only reporting bad and negative news, but I would argue that sometimes it is necessary; and reporting child abuse news is one of those necessary times.

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