Professionalisation in the media refers to improving the standards, skills and ethics of employees as well as the development of technology. The development of professional skills is an important process to improve the quality of work. Without the above, working with the media can become an attempt to open new doors with old keys. SHAPING TOMORROW is the training of media professionals in the Salesian Family.
The training of media professionals dedicated to the Church, whether priests, consecrated persons or lay people, is becoming a pressing need. An example of recommendations can be found in the Aparecida Document of 2007. The bishops present at the Fifth General Conference of the Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean committed themselves to the formation and accompaniment of the faithful in the practice of social communication. Here are some of the requests contained in the document (Aparecida, 2007, no. 486):
Be familiar with and appreciate this new culture of communications.
Promote professional training in the culture of communications in all pastoral agents and believers.
Train competent professionals in communications who are committed to human and Christian values in the evangelical transformation of society, with particular attention to media owners, producers, program directors, journalists, and announcers.
Support and optimise the creation by the Church of its own communications media in both television and radio, on Internet sites, and in print media.
Be present in the mass media: press, radio and TV, digital film, Internet sites, forums,
and many other systems in order to introduce into them the mystery of Christ.
SHAPING TOMORROW in the midst of the digital revolution requires the training of media professionals. Digital culture change is an area where technology plays a key role in all aspects of social, cultural and economic life. Moreover, transformations in the arts, education and entertainment often come from the digital revolution. In addition, the development of artificial intelligence is likely to affect culture as a sustained rainstorm; therefore, SHAPING TOMORROW is a pressing need for specialists in the technological and ethical aspects of artificial intelligence.
The digital revolution is also changing the paradigm of communication and the language of evangelisation. There is undoubtedly a need for new forms of communication and an understanding of the growing role of professional content. SHAPING TOMORROW is the professionalisation in the field of media communication in the Church, which should take place in the following areas: quality of communication, media competence of the creators, technology, professionalisation of content, training, care of finances, support from the competent superiors, as well as the emotional maturity of those in charge of communication, undertaking spiritual discernment in the context of faith, human resource management and ethics at work.
We invite you to the Communication Conference to be held from 1 to 7 August 2024, in Rome.
Looking forward!