OCEANIA/SOLOMON ISLANDS “The media and the family - A risk and a richness ”: forum for media and pastoral operators in Solomon Islands reflects on Pope John Paul II’s message for the Church’s World Communications Day marked this year on 23 May.

Honiara (Fides Service) - Pastoral and media operators gathered with priests, laity, families and religious to take part in a forum to reflect on Pope John Paul II’s message for this years Day of Social Communications with the title The media and the family - A risk and a richness. The event was organised by the Communications Office of Honiara diocese Solomon Islands.
The group agreed that often the media run very negative stories and little tales of success. Dr John Roughan questioned why the local media are seemingly silent about the family and family issues. He said family stories were not covered maybe because readers and listeners were uninterested. Media Association of Solomon Islands President Robert Iroga said family stories were not uninteresting but reporters were looking for sensational stories and headline grabbers. Unfortunately, family stories did not fall in that category. The forum stressed the need to give more attention to the family. Very often films, TV and the Internet portray erroneous pictures of love and family life, as the Pope pointed out in his Message for this years Communications Day 2004.
The media are a gift of God to humanity and they must serve for the progress of humanity. The forrum agreed on the need to education media users, especially children and young people to good use of the media and to motivate church personnel to strive to be formed in the use of the media and to employ them for the spreading of the Good News and the coming of the Kingdom “
(PA) (Agenzia Fides 26/5/2004 lines 32 words 334)