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The Vatican presence at CMC 2011 and the 100th anniversary of the Catholic Press Association

Steven Huber

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Monsignor Paul Tighe, the Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, is present at the 2011 Catholic Media Convention, and delegates are happy to see him there.[singlepic id=17 w=320 float=right]
"It’s great to see Vatican representation on the ground here to get a pulse on the opportunities and challenges facing Catholic communicators in 2011,” said Neil MacCarthy, Communications Director for the Archdiocese of Toronto. MacCarthy is one of about 25 Canadians who are in attendance at CMC 2011, and among that number is Salt + Light CEO Fr. Thomas Rosica, CSB.
The centerpiece of day one of CMC 2011 was a presentation by Amy Mitchell, of the Pew Research Institute, on Media Consumption.  Much of the presentation focused on trends in media--how the newspaper industry as a whole is shrinking, and more and more people are turning to the internet to receive their news updates.  Here are some facts that she presented:
  • The newsprint industry lost $1.6 billion in budgets from 2006-2010, and papers have lost 48% of their revenues
  • Newspaper staffing has decreased 30% since 2000
  • 47% of Americans have said that they now get their news from a mobile device
  • Many people use 3-5 different sites per day to gather news and information
  • The average amount of time spent on a news website is 2 minutes 30 seconds
In her talk, Mitchell stressed the importance of reaching multiple audiences with multiple outlets, and more products.  (This is exactly what we are striving to do here at Salt + Light, through television, print media, radio, blogs, and our website.)
Today on the agenda:  a panel discussion on increased collaboration between bishops and Catholic media, a speaker presentation on “How to work for the church and manage to keep the faith,” meetings on the new guidelines for the Roman Missal, and another panel discussion titled “Is the role of faith declining in American public life or is it still a potent force?”
Today’s events conclude with a celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Catholic Press Association. The Catholic Press Association brings together more than 600 member organizations, which reach more than 26 million Catholics in the United States and Canada.  The pinnacle of the celebration will be a special Mass, which is followed by a gala reception at the Carnegie Museum, and a special performance by the Mendelssohn Choir at the Carnegie Music Hall.  What a wonderful way to celebrate 100 years of an organization dedicated to helping Catholic media professionals grow in their ministry!
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CNS photo/Bob Roller
CNS photo/Bob Roller


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