I came across the following alarming headline from National Public Radio (NPR) when searching in Google the other day:
“Catholic Church Still Hiding Sexual Predators?”
Wow. That is a provocative and disturbing headline, indeed. The thought that the Church is “still hiding sexual predators” in 2012 is very troubling. I wanted to see what this was all about.
Well, I listened to the accompanying audio and read the transcript. It turns out the headline was – well – bogus.
The piece is simply an interview with Boston Globe reporter Michael Rezendes, in which he and the NPR host (Michel Martin) reflect on the ten years since the Globe’s extensive 2002 coverage of the scandals.
Nowhere in the interview does either the host or the Globe reporter even breach the topic of the Catholic Church “still hiding sexual predators.”
There is nothing. Nada. Zilch. Niete.
Go ahead. Read the transcript. Listen to the audio.
In fact, Rezendes actually comes close to asserting the opposite of what is implied in the headline. At one point, the Globe reporter opines:
“Well, I think that I would say that Cardinal O’Malley is right in that the church has done a great deal to prevent future sexual abuse by priests. Priests and laypeople who work with the church are being trained to prevent abuse, to recognize the signs of abuse. Really, quite a lot has been done, at least in the Boston Archdiocese.”
While much is made about the Church-bashing slant in places like the Boston Globe and New York Times as well, listeners of NPR should know that the radio outlet reveals a bigoted angle itself.
