My local news outlet, thisiscornwall, continues to publish anti-journalistic religious sermons as news

I have lost count how many times I have complained to my local on-line news outlet, thisicornwall.co.uk, about their insistence on slipping religious screeds like the following into their news feed, but I have had enough of it and am suitably pissed off enough to take them to task through whatever channels are available to me in order to bring their anti-journalistic practices to a close.

We can look forward to a brighter future with Jesus

By The Rev David Bagwell

SOMEONE crashed into me last week – I was there on the corner of Cross Street and Chapel Street when this young man banged into me from behind.

Head bowed with a mobile phone to his ear, he walked around the corner and didn't see me – a stationary pedestrian waiting to cross the road – until it was too late.

It's a growing problem as more and more people walk and phone concurrently along our narrow pavements, not looking around them let alone looking forward, which is a shame, because apart from the safety considerations one of the joys of walking is the chance to take in what's around you.

And spiritually, too, there's a message here, as the ability to look forward lies at the heart of any meaningful progress in life.

At the start of a new year, it's good to be able to look forward to something new, something different, something better. And then to plan for it, work for it and dream it.

The story of Jesus is a story of someone who gave those who had nothing to look forward to a new beginning, gave those who had lost all hope something to hope for, gave those who had no direction a wider and deeper purpose in life.

Simeon, having met with the child Jesus in the temple, expressed it: "With my own eyes I have now seen the salvation which God has prepared for all people" – Luke ii, 30 to 31.

He was saying that he was now able to look forward to a brighter and better future, knowing that God was making all things new.
For those who at the start of this year are only looking back with fading memories rather than looking forward with expectation, or looking around but not sure how to move on, Jesus can still be "the way, the truth and the life" – John xiv, 6.

Despite the economic gloom, be assured that there is still much to look forward to as we travel on together with Jesus as our guide.

I ask you, if you were to subscribe to a news feed on an on-line news media outlet, would you be surprised if - in amongst the stories about Government cuts and car crashes on the region's roads - the above was included (presumably by someone with some degree of journalistic experience)?

No. Neither would I. Hence the following was sent to them as I reported the 'article' as 'religious abuse':

Yet again, I am complaining about religious screeds under the guise of news on your site. And I am fed up with it.

Would you please stop this practice with immediate effect.

Also, would you please send me a statement of your intent on the inclusion of further 'articles' of this stripe in the future, so I can make a considered decision about what action I am to take with your insistence on promulgating anti-journalistic practices?

Response to Bartribe on same sex marriage

I have already posted on this subject today (if you want to read this first, I'll wait here), and have copied my initial response to my Daily Digest (*taps toes, waiting for you to read this too)

After having gone back to check for updates (which there were. Sarah Newton MP distanced herself quite vociferously against the dishonest practices of Coalition for Marriage), I read a comment by a person who named themselves barrtribe. Have left the spelling and grammatical mistakes as they were presented.

UPDATED Same sex marriage - Coalition for Marriage activists inspire people to contact their MPs

Regarding the story in thisiscornwall on the opponents of gay marriage taking to streets of Cornwall, I was moved to agree with the Coalition for Marriage (C4M - I'll not be linking to them) national campaign director, Colin Hart, regarding letting voters have their say. 

There is a clear consensus amongst the voters of this country that same sex marriage is not only okay, but something we as a nation should aspire to. He asks us to contact our MPs and let them know how we feel on the matter.

Brilliant idea!

Contact your MP and let him/her know both how you feel about same sex marriage, and if they are prepared to take a definitive stance in favour of it.

I did...

FOR THE ATTENTION OF:

Andrew George MP
St Ives

Monday 14 January 2013

Tris Stock
*************
Penzance
Cornwall
TR** ***

tris.stock@*****.***
07718******

Dear Andrew George,

I have just been reading the following item on same sex marriage on thisiscornwall  and was moved by the words of C4M's national campaign director, Colin Hart, who said:

"Our local activists are fired up to make sure voters have their say. We have identified these three marginal Cornish seats as key, together with 62 others nationwide. MPs can expect local voters to be pressing them on where they stand on the redefinition of marriage."

I couldn't agree more.

Equality comes before division in a fair and just society, so allowing all people - regardless of their sexuality or gender - to enjoy the rights currently afforded to only one demographic, is the only reasonable course of action. And the majority of the British public agrees:

Three in five voters back gay marriage - The Guardian
Gay marriage: public say Church is wrong - The Independent 
Britons vote in favour of same-sex marriage - The Daily Mail

Will you join Mr Hart and myself in publicly supporting people's representation on same-sex marriage? Perhaps you could also take a clear stand in favour of same sex marriage?

Yours sincerely,

Mr Tris Stock

***UPDATE***

I have a reply from Andrew George MP:

EQUAL MARRIAGE

Thank you for your recent email in support of equal marriage. I agree with you.

I am aware that this is an issue which provokes strong opinions and passionate debate.  I also acknowledge that there is an established view held by some people of what are perceived to be 'conventional' (and acceptable) and 'unconventional' (and unacceptable) relationships.  Personally, irrespective of my own nature, I am always pleased to celebrate both the public declaration of love and the commitment to an enduring fidelity between two adults, irrespective of who they are or what their nature is.  I do not take the view that there are first order relationships and second; nor that there are superior and inferior marriages.

I will look carefully at the outcome of the Government's consultation into their proposals and monitor the debate carefully.

On balance, I believe that the Government is right, providing it can reassure those that there will be no compulsion for any church to be mandated to permit or to undertake on their premises a marriage ceremony to which they would wish not to give their consent/blessing.  I note that the Church of England claim that any such exemption "could be challenged" by some litigious and theologically campaigning homosexual under the European Convention on Human Rights.  However, I am not convinced that this is likely; especially given the Convention's commitment to respect/defend religious freedom.  The Church has often refused to marry divorcees and a local church can deny marriage to those with no parochial connection.  I am not aware of any church being taken to a European Court to have those practices challenged.  Therefore I would not expect this to be either.

I hope you will find this response helpful and that it clarifies for you my own approach to this matter.

For your information, I have received many letters/emails from constituents who vehemently disagree with my/the Government’s view on this matter.

Once again, thank you very much for taking the time and trouble to contact me on this matter.  If you have any further questions or concerns then please do not hesitate to contact me.

With good wishes.

Yours sincerely,

Andrew George MP  

File Ref: 12/13.1/ag/jr

Andrew George MP
Trewella
18 Mennaye Road
Penzance
Cornwall    TR18 4NG
Tel: 01736 360020

'God cannot restore the dream of marriage'

Firstly, I would like to apologise for my absence of late. I could go into details, but let it suffice to say that meeting a lovely young woman recently has been playing on my mind to the detriment of my work.

So this is today's report.

I have been in an extended battle with a regional newspaper here in the south west, called The West Briton. A weekly publication, there appears in my news reader at least one religious screed each week being passed off as news. I have posted on this before, but I refuse to give up, so I am submitting another article for inclusion as a response to this example of religious shit-baggery.

It has been said by David Ward on these pages, that marriage could ' be compared to the Olympic gold medal that we would all love to attain, but the commitment, dedication and singleness of purpose required makes it much easier to sit in the stands and settle for less'. Upon reflection, it is an unrealistic proposition that merely serves to shore up a confused understanding of either the institution of marriage or the process of elite sporting competition.

Whilst it may well be widely accepted that we all wish for a burgeoning relationship to culminate in the committed, dedicated and singular purpose Ward speaks of, the analogy begins to unravel when one considers that the two relationships being compared are not like-for-like. The goal of a successful personal relationship neither implies the failure of other's efforts, nor rewards one relationship over another based on the performance of its participants.

The Olympics also suggests a level playing field; something that some relationships are neither guaranteed, nor so much as recognised. The world's churches consistently oppose certain forms of relationship, and governments are only slowly introducing compromise legislation to afford these a 'foot in the door'. Unless it can be established that  'non-traditional' relationships have less value than 'traditional' ones, then there is no reason a representative government should not afford these equally valid rights in law. The churches are free to discriminate at will, and will no doubt continue to do so.

A touch-paper issue around the world, gay marriage, neither harms 'traditional' marriage, nor does it mean that it is a slippery slope that will lead to the moral decay of society. No one wishes to hinder the rights of heterosexual relationships, and no one is asking to marry their pets. If marriage is such a strong institution, what harm could possibly be cast by more people wishing to have access to it? Unless, of course, those that oppose equal rights for all people, feel that other's rights are not as worthy or 'right'. That is not their call, though. They are called rights for a reason. One does not get to vote on whether one person's love and commitment for another individual has more value or integrity, any more than if we were discussing mixed race or interdenominational marriage.
But what of 'traditional' marriage? Most religious believers (and some non-believers) might say that it is 'between one man and one woman', but this certainly isn't represented in scripture. In fact, marriage remains undefined in either testament. There are  numerous references to man/woman marriages, and homosexuality is largely seen as an 'abomination', but then after these Deuteronomical references we are introduced to Solomon (alleged ancestor of Jesus) who had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Is this the tradition theists want to champion?

What is the big deal about tradition anyway? If it were so important, we would be entombed in an unchanging and stagnant society without any hope for our betterment. Wallowing in our self-righteous 'knowledge' that things simply cannot get better than that we have inherited from our ancestors. we don't do that, though. We are a modern and dynamic society that has a bent towards, at least trying, to make the world we live in a better place. Quite how denying homosexuals the same rights as heterosexual couples fits in with that picture, I am sure I do not know.

So what can God do to restore the dream of marriage? Unless he runs for Parliament, not much, it would seem. For although we are the creators of our own destiny, sadly our system still means that we have yet to afford basic human rights without resorting to voting on them. Hardly seems credible, but there you have it.

Article criticising religion as news REJECTED!

As I suspected, my article 'Is religion a necessary aspect of news content?' has been rejected. Also, the article that spawned my post remains.

thisiscornwall.co.uk is run by a company called Northcliffe Media, and the email for comments is comments@northcliffemedia.co.uk. Be sure and let them know how you feel about their moderation policy.


For my part, I shall take the high-road and keep things civil for as long as they treat me with civility, but if they are unable to justify their position, MPs and newspaper editor's inboxes will be filled with with my activism - and hopefully your activism too.


Is there a U.K. lawyer here that could help me clarify a few things?

Sirs,

Earlier today I posted an article to the thisiscornwall.co.uk site, entitled 'Is religion a necessary aspect of news content?' Upon completion I was informed that it would be moderated. It would appear that this moderation process has decided that the article was not suitable for publication.

Firstly, would you be so kind as to explain the reasons for this particular article's rejection?

Secondly, would you also explain why religious sermons like this are considered credible news content?

If you are unable to access the article concerned, I have posted a copy to my blog for your perusal here.

Kind regards,

Mr Tris Stock

Let's see what they have to say for themselves.

Is religion a necessary aspect of news content?

(Just in case my article is taken down, I shall copypasta it here for posterity.)



Whilst thisiscornwall's invitation to 'citizen journalism' is to be applauded, there have been numerous objections raised with regard to its value. Objectivity, professionalism and relevance are key aspects in all journalistic endeavours, and if these qualities are not met its value is diminished.


There has been a creeping incidence of non-news and non-community related articles that have slipped - either purposely or by editorial neglect - into people's news readers, and despite numerous comments highlighting the fact that these articles are not news, they continue to populate an otherwise excellent on-line news media product such as thisiscornwall.

Which way to go?

A recent case in point is the inclusion of an article that contained no news, negligible community information and no indication of its provenance beyond a 'trusted source' ribbon at the top of the page.


'Is church a museum for good people?', whilst naming Sid Harris, of the Lizard-Mount's Bay Methodist Circuit, it is anonymously written, and the inclusion of his religious entity's name is about as close as the entire article gets to an allusion of community.


It contains no news content whatsoever.


It is, in fact, nothing more than the melancholic musings of a particular Christian's outlook on 'love'; a sermon, if you like.


Set against the aspects of journalism as stated in the opening paragraph, this sort of content is neither objective - any religious point of view is by definition subjective - nor is it relevant - people's faith being important to the individual in no wise constitutes news. As for professional? Well, the author's ability to convey his thoughts is not in question here, but in allowing such content to be published as news, thisiscornwall is negligent in its duty as a news media outlet.


It is not the remit of this article to have religious thoughts and articles banished from the site - there is a very good case for developing blogs for people that wish to do so, and national newspapers do exactly this - but this content should be clearly defined as opinion or some such, and not presented as news.


So what is the purpose of this article? It is a challenge to thisiscornwall to outline guidelines for what is, and what isn't, considered news content for the 'citizen journalist'. If the publication of religious tracts is deemed to be compelling community news, then my upcoming articles on secularism and criticisms of religious thought should be warmly welcomed. However, if thisiscornwall decides that content like that mentioned (and, indeed, the content you are reading now) is not considered to be compelling community news, it should either create a separate space for public opinion - leaving the RSS news feed for news alone - or it should stop publishing content that is in counter-distinction to the site's purpose.


In anticipation of the backlash I am sure to receive in publishing this article. I am quite aware of the fact that my own musings in this post are not news-worthy, are of neglible community benefit and very likely unprofessional, but in the vein of 'what is good for the goose is good for the gander', it should be pointed out that if religious sermons are to be tolerated as valid community news, so too should criticism of it.


Tris Stock is a secular activist, pop philosopher and blogger. Follow his thoughts at MyGodlessLife