ICN media course 4 - Dealing with controversial topics

Photo by Joël de Vriend on Unsplash

When Pope Benedict announced he was coming to Britain to beatify Cardinal John Henry Newman in 2010, there was a reaction from a few but influential people who did not wish him to come, or at least did not want the state to pay for his visit. The media took an interest in this conflict and wanted to showcase the debate. This represented a communications opportunity for Catholics and Catholic Voices was born: a project to train ordinary Catholics to speak on television and radio about controversial topics related to the Church or morality, in a way that the public would be able to understand.

A training programme was set up to achieve this, studying the different controversial topics and developing a method of communication. The method of Catholic Voices is based on finding common ground, seeking the positive intention of the other in any discussion and starting the conversation from there.

It starts with what is called the frame, i.e. the set of assumptions and prejudices about a person or institution when there is a news story involving them. When the frame is strong, what people hear most of all is the frame. In that case, and if the frame is negative, the way the speaker talks about an issue will determine whether they reinforce the frame or step out of it. Only by stepping out of the negative frame will their message be heard. This is what has been called "reframing": stepping out of the frame where one has been placed.

Once the frame is understood, the next step is to look for the common values, the things that all parties agree on, with the idea of starting the response from there.

The reframing process then has these three steps

- What is the frame? What do they think of me, of us?
- What is the positive intention or common ground between us? Of the several things the other side want, which ones do I totally agree with?
- What is my message and how do I connect it with the common value?

This method involves listening carefully to the other without assuming that one knows their intention. It also demands clear explanations on one's own part so that the message can be understood. It has been summarised in the ten principles of communication of Catholic Voices.

The method has been found useful to debate controversial subjects such as abortion, same-sex unions, immigration, or gender identity issues. It is explained in detail in the book How to Defend the Faith Without Raising Your Voice, originally written in 2012 and revised and expanded in 2015. The book has been translated and adapted into Portuguese, French, Italian and Spanish. An Irish version has also been produced.

Examples of the method in action can be seen in the YouTube channel of Catholic Voices.

Jack Valero is co-founder of Catholic Voices.

LINKS

Catholic Voices website - www.catholicvoices.org.uk/
Catholic Voices Youtube channel - www.youtube.com/c/CatholicVoicesUK

See also:

Tuesday, 1 March 5.30pm - 8.30pm
What is God saying to the Church? - London Watch Party
At London Jesuit Centre
14 Mount Street, London, W1K 2RG
Register to attend: www.catholicvoices.org.uk/events/watch-party