In
1595, Francis de Sales, a down-on-his-luck bishop who just couldn’t hold a
crowd, adopted an unprecedented method of preaching: he distributed his message
on printed leaflets. Sales’s gonzo proselyting converted 40,000, and Pope Pius
XI eventually canonized Sales ‘The Patron Saint of Journalism.’ In doing so,
the Blessed Father extended the definition of journalism in a manner which,
however unusual, encompasses the definition of news perfectly. After all, by infusing
journalism with evangelism, Sales demonstrated what news really is: the
process of not merely informing readers, but bestowing them with the utmost
truth; in essence, vying for their souls.
What,
then, constitutes good journalism? Inherent to any good story is passion
for the story’s subject matter. Even the driest of straight-news stories can
achieve greatness if the author has not only a thorough understanding, but also
an enjoyment, of the story’s subject. Above all, however, journalism should be
dedicated to the truth. A good story needs no flowery lede or verbose diction
as long as it is firmly rooted in objective fact. Only through objective truth
can a truly good journalist vie for a reader’s soul.
I’m
Branden John Labarowski—the “John” comes from my great-grandfather John
Labarowski, a resourceful, responsible and levelheaded emigrant from Lithuania.
My favorite Beatle is Ringo.
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