News Scrapbook 1986

Los Angeles, CA (Los Angeles Co.) Los Angeles Times (Cir. D. i ,076,466) (Cir. S. 1,346,343)

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NOV 8 1986

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turday, November 8, 1986 *

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Part II/

iiiocesan News apers: What Is Reported and What Is Ignored? RELIGION A NYSCOTI', T11nuStaff Writer SA DIEGO-Early this year as "helping Catholics understand the world and fulfill their role in it," according to the consensus of ' through the eyes of the bishop," said Fox of the National Catholic Reporter.

reports of homosexuality m St. l•'raucis Semmary, murky financial ccounting and the transfer of diocesan property by Maher to hlS pnvate secretary feanwhile, the diocese silenced a Uniygnrity of San Diego religious studies profe aftershe S1gned a public letter ng for a dialogue Wtthm the church on abortion. Dunng most of that time, Maher declined to address the charges, except to cond mn "these sordid attacks by the p ess." ever did an spokesman for the diocese or th Southern Cross, which purpor to cover the church, publicly address the mis- conduct allegauons. But last month, the diocese hired Fmley as a ful -time cornmuruca- tions director, uperscding a prie • y, ho had held the job part time About the same time, there was muffled upheaval at Southern Cross. The priest who was editor, Father Louis Copestake, qmetly stepped down. His name vanJShed, U"'.lCJCPlamed. m the newspaper's masthead. JI ome telephone was clisconnectcd. The diocese will say only that Copestake h taken an "adm1ms- trat1ve leave absence" for medi- cal reasons. H has left San Diego, said Finley, who added that he did not know where Copestake had gone. Finley has moved mto Copes- take's office In the little newspaper wing behind the diocese' head- quarters. Whether the paper's con- tent or coverage wtll change re- mams unclear. But Finley noted recently, "I think we need to remember at all times that the bishop IS the publisher of the newspaper. In that respect, it's no different from your publisher, m that he had better be pleased With the product."

the Catholic Press Assn. confer- ence held in February. That in- cludes "reporting fully, fairly and accurately the events of the day as they relate to Christians" and "por- traying the church as it Is, with its strengths and weaknesses." But the papers' goals also Include "helping fulfill the bishop's obliga- tion to teach and mstruct the people of God" and "helping to build up the local, national and universal commumty." Several ed- itors said they seek to inspire, as well as to inform. "In a way, there is at least a theoretical conflict between the tradition of editorial Independence, which Is so much a part o! Amen - can history, and the trndltlo of a newspaper which IS attempting to portray the life of the diocese

That conflict is made sharper by the fact that most diocesan paper ar,; under-funded and under- staffed. Many have part-time edi- tors who are priests with little or no journali m background. Like Fin- ley, some editors double as the diocesan public relations man. "One of the things to keep in mind 1s that diocesan papers don't have big staffs, so they can't do mvestigative stories," said Ethel Gintoft, editor of the Catholic Her- ald in Milwaukee. "We don't hdog our officials in the same wa secular paper watchdogs elected officials." As a result, editors occasionally find themselves faced with the quc lion of whether to addr R Please see PAPERS Pa

group of Roman Catholic b1Shops and th editors of diocesan ncws- P g thcrcd m a unusual conf nee to discu , among many thing , how best lO cover ndal, mbarrassmcnt and dis- nt within th church. Out of th conf nee emerged a 13 pomt co en endorsmg such high-minded as full and fall" repor ng, conveying th Christian g of human events, rcflcct- h unity and dlverSJty of the and explammg church

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ndal, mbarrassmcn and dis- t- ere as no con

.11eni:..1a11y an .,r,~m'rt,,,11 journalists and bure u ats ' ow the qu pnal role of n dloc

on of th nppro- n paper has o w ere the

ers of many of the 157 diocesan newspapers say their quality de- pends on each bishop's willingness to tolerate editorial mdependence. The history of many Catholic dioc- esan papers 1s one of recurrent tension over coverage of trouble- some topics such as scandal and dissent. The National Catholic Reporter, a large, privately owned paper, emerged out of a diocesan ne spa- per that had angered its bishop. According to editor Tom Fox, th b1Shop withdrew funding for th paper after it published an editorial opposing the bishop's stand on The editor of the San Bernardino paper recalled a disagreement with his bishop over his publishing a birth control.

wire service repo o :.he drunk- drivmg arrest of the archbishop of eapolis-St. Paul. Other editors recalled skirmishes their bishops over coverage of s scandals Involving local priests an lawswts agamst the diocese. Other seruntive area.q include Jet- t to the editor, columns and torials. The general rule Is that the cl er the issue 18 to home, the less UHely the editor is going to utilize o express an editorial mdepcnd- e ce,'' FoxS8ld. ocesan papers define their rum ,,.-_:-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-~-:--==:-=--=====1.

San Diego, CA (San Diego Co.) Evening Tribune (Cir. D. 127,454)

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w ly South m Cross 1s under n w I dersh1p In a dioccs do g d by reports of scandal nev r 1r m oulhem Cross, "the bishop's newspaper" Is bemg re-examined. culal1on is about 20,000, just a fraction of lhe dioc n member- sh p, and only part of the c1rculn- tion I m paid subscnptions The new editor, a career JOumal t turned public relations man, Id hJs fll"8l meeting I month th new editonal board appomt- ed by Bishop Leo T. Maher. By Janu ry, he said, he intends to redefm the oals of the paper, which some contend has fai' n llS, mission. "Certainly the dllemma 1ere 1 hether we want to put out a n wspaper or a newsletter," said tor Bill Finley, whose own poSJ- n reflects the dilemma-a for- r reporter, now spokesman for the diocese, with an advisory board full of monsignors. "There 1s n certain number of e who thlnk that the vtlal1ty of the church the d bate within th church, and that any kind of d ussion of theological lSSUes and I of the day within the church are healthy," Finley 88ld. "And there lS a certain number of con- servative elements w1thm rh e church who feel that a th controversial debates arl' -=om - how unhealthy for the church." The San Diego d"o ese has not n starved for contru ersy. First, there wa June, 1984, report In The R~ der, a local weekly, allegmg that a promment nest w being treated for a cocame habit acquired dunng a long homosexual Jove affair. Then came newspaper and television

NOV 10 198i

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s1on o USF yPsterday as the Dons clinched the WC C championship on their home field an Helge Schiefloe opened the scoring at 63:54 when he curled a 25-yard free kick past Toreros goalkeeper Scott Huckleber- ry. J~sse DeGuzm ·ealed the victo- ry at 84:37 when he volleyed a 15- yard shot into the goal after taking a pass from Mark DeCroce. The win propelled the 11th-ranked Dons to their 24th NCAA Tourna- ment in 28 seasons. The Dons are 17• 2-4 for the season, with 17 shutouts. USD slipped to 19-H. 7 The Doris'

editors and observ-

Nationw1d

San Diego, CA (San Diego Co.) San Diego Union (Cir. D. 217,089) (Cir. S. 341 ,840)

1986

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- Your heart deserves the best care possible, and you can learn the latest information on heart problems and how 10 prevent them at Wednesday's free lecture. Lifestyle and blood pressure are among the heart disease factors that Will be addressed in ""Matters of the Heart.'" The seminar is from 7·30 to 9 p.m. in the conference center at Scripps Memorial Hospital, 354 Santa Fe Drive in Encinitas. A discussion of the latest discoveries in plastic surgery and a sampling of hol- iday fashions will be featured at Wednesday's "Thank Goodness I'm a Woman'" seminar at Bullock's Carlsbad. "New Frontiers in Plastic Surgery'" by Dr. David Wolf will be followed by '"Holi- day Happenings: Exciting Holiday Wear for the Upcoming Season" and a light '"shopper"s supper."' The program will begin at 6 p.m. at 2557 El Camino Real in Carlsbad. AdmIssIon is $10 and must be prepaid. Criminals are merciless, and senior citizens are particularly vulnerable Thursday"s Senior Supper at the San

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Su,• .ay,

·ovember 9, 1986

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Diego Physicians and Surgeons Hospi- tal will offer tips to seniors on how to protect themselves and make them- selves less vulnerable to muggers, robbers and burglars. '"How Not to Be- come a Crime Victim"" will begin at 5:15 p.m.• preceded by supper at 4:30 p.m. The program will be in the hospital caf- eteria at 446 26th St. Cost is $2. Hear ye, hear ye, residents. property and business owners and other con- cerned citizens. ,n University Heights. It is time for you to take an active interest in your community by attending Thurs- day's meeting of the University He1_ghts Community Association. Meeting time Is 7 p.m. at Birney Elementary School au- ditorium, 4345 Campus Ave. •Tis the season to buy handcrafted gifts for mends and family The Mira Mesa Junior Women's Club"s 12th An- nual Holiday Arts and Crafts Festival is Just the place to make your purchases. This weekend's fair will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Mira Mesa Mall. 8150 Mira Mesa Blvd. - Mary Frances Smith

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Stress Spiral'" will offer simple tech- niques to help you pinpoint stress fac- tofll and learn to relax. Tuesday·s free workshop Is at the Center for Family Development, 9606 Tierra Grande, suite 204. Advance registration by phone rs required. Does Alzheimer's disease affect your life or the life of a loved one? The public is invited lo the free monthly meetings of the Coronado Branch of the Al- zheimer's Disease and Related Disor- ders Association. Regular meetings are on the second Tuesday of every month at 7 pm. in !he Coronado Hospital au- ditorium, 250 Prospect Place. ProfeHional tot and toddler care in the convenience of your own home is the subject of a free class at Clairemont Mesa Continuing Education Center Li- censing. rearranging your home, record-keeping and nutrition are among the topics to be discussed in '"Providing Family Day Care. ' The first meeting of the five-week course is Wednesday from 6 to 9 p.m. at 3890 Modoc.

Can you teach canine etiq4ette or tumbling? Dog obedience. gymnastics. horsemanship and crafts are among the Lakeside Community Service Associa- tion classes in need of instructors. If you have a special skill you would like to teach to others. the assocIatIon Is now accepting applications for the win- ter and spring programs. Call ahead for further information and the location ad- dress. "Economic Liberties and the Consti- tution"' Is the title of tomorrow's lec;ture by Bernard H. Siegan. law professor and director of Law and Economic Studies at the Un~ o School of Law. The talk begins at 1 p.m. In the House of Hospitality in Bal- boa Park. Admission is $2. with pro- ceeds benefiting the San Diego Woman's Philharmonic Committee for the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orches- tra. While stress is often immobilizing. there are ways to keep 1t from interfer- ing with your life. "Reversing Your

Carlsbad, CA (San Diego Co.) Carlsbad Journal (Cir. 2xW. 16,049)

NOV 1 51986

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OPERA WORKSHOP - The Universi- ty of Sari.,Diag_o Music Department will present an evening of operatic excerpts at 8 p.m in Friday, Nov. 21 in uso·s Camino Theatre Free and open to the public 260

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