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The ''National Catholic Reporter'' (''NCR'') is a national newspaper in the United States that reports on issues related to the
Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
. Based in
Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...
, ''NCR'' was founded by Robert Hoyt in 1964. Hoyt wanted to bring the professional standards of secular news reporting to the press that covers Catholic news, saying that "if the mayor of a city owned its only newspaper, its citizens will not learn what they need and deserve to know about its affairs". The publication, which operates outside the authority of the Catholic Church, is independently owned and governed by a lay board of directors.


Overview

The paper is published bi-weekly, with each issue including national and world news sections, as well as an opinion and arts section. Each paper runs an average of 32 pages, which includes special sections, a section published in each issue devoted to a particular topic. Each issue includes news stories, analysis, commentary, opinion and editorials. The Opinion and Arts section contains book and film reviews, as well as spiritual reflections, along with letters to the editor, classifieds and editorials. The organization reported $4.3 million in annual revenue in 2013. The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation is a major financial supporter of the newspaper. The ''Global Sisters Report'' is a project of ''NCR''.


Editorial stance

''NCR'' presents itself "as one of the few, if not the only truly independent, journalistic outlet for Catholics and others who struggle with the complex moral and societal issues of the day." Russell Shaw, writing in the supplemental volume of the ''Encyclopedia of Catholic Social Thought, Social Science, and Social Policy'' writes that ''NCR'' "has been criticized for ideological bias and a tilt in favor of progressive Catholicism and dissent, not only in its editorial and opinion pages but in its news coverage as well, together with an excessive readiness to dispute and oppose statements and actions of the
Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...
and the
bishops A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
". For example, ''NCR'' has asserted that climate change is the "No. 1 pro-life issue" facing the Catholic Church today. According to Thomas Tweed, director of the Ansari Institute of Global Engagement with Religion at the
University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...
, "I think the same thing that has happened in American political life and media has happened to some extent to Catholics. Progressive Catholics read '' Commonweal'' and the ''National Catholic Reporter'', and traditionalist Catholics watch
EWTN The Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) is an American basic cable television network which presents around-the-clock Catholic programming. It is the largest Catholic television network in America, and is purported to be "the world's larges ...
and read newsletters from the Blue Army."Jenkins, Jack. "From the Bible Belt, EWTN shapes world Catholic news", Religious News Service, January 15, 2019
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Criticism

In April 1967, ''NCR'' published confidential reports of a commission appointed by Pope Paul VI to review the church's teaching on artificial contraception. The majority of the commission recommended revisions in the teaching. The action was among the reasons Bishop Charles H. Helmsing of Kansas City, Missouri, in 1968, issued a condemnation of ''NCR'' and demanded that it remove the word Catholic from its name. Bishop Helmsing issued a statement condemning ''NCR'', saying it had a "policy of crusading against the Church's teachings," a "poisonous character" and "disregard and denial of the most sacred values of our Catholic faith." Because the publication "does not reflect the teaching of the Church, but on the contrary, has openly and deliberately opposed this teaching," he asked the editors to "drop the term 'Catholic' from their masthead" because "they deceive their Catholic readers and do a great disservice to ecumenism by ..watering down Catholic teachings." ''NCR'' did not comply with his request. Dozens of Catholic journalists would sign a statement disagreeing with the condemnation based on its "underlying definition of the legitimate boundaries of religious journalism in service to the church." The Catholic Press Association reported that the dispute arose from a difference of opinion regarding the function of the press. In 2013, Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City, Missouri, wrote a column in his diocesan newspaper discussing Helmsing's condemnation of ''NCR''. He stated, "From my perspective, ''NCR''s positions against authentic Church teaching and leadership have not changed trajectory in the intervening decades." Finn wrote that the paper had refused to "submit their bona fides as a Catholic media outlet in accord with the expectations of Church law," and considered itself an "independent newspaper which commented on 'things Catholic'." ''NCR'' publisher Thomas C. Fox denied the implication that there was a decades-long animosity between the diocese and the newspaper, noting that Bishop John Sullivan and Bishop Raymond Boland "had cordial relations with ''NCR''." He pointed out that ''NCR'' is a member of the Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada whose honorary president is Bishop John Charles Wester, who also serves as the chairman of the Committee of Communications of the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 2001 after the merger of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic C ...
. Fox noted an ''NCR'' editorial in November 2012 had called on Finn to resign or be removed from his position after Finn was found guilty "of failing to report suspected child abuse involving a local priest." Finn did resign from the Diocese of Kansas City on April 21, 2015, after an internal Vatican investigation.


Awards

''NCR'' has won the "General Excellence" award from the Catholic Press Association in the category of national news publications six times between 2008 and 2014. The Catholic Press Association in June 2017 awarded former ''NCR'' editor and publisher Tom Fox its highest honor for publishers, the Bishop John England Award.


See also

* Institute for Nonprofit News (member) * List of Catholic newspapers and magazines in the United States


References


Citations


General sources

* * *


Further reading

* * Hoyt, Mike
"In the name of the father."
''
Columbia Journalism Review The ''Columbia Journalism Review'' (''CJR'') is a biannual magazine for professional journalists that has been published by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism since 1961. Its original purpose was "to assess the performance ...
'' (Sept.-Oct. 2013)


External links

*
PDF archive
(vol. 1–9) a
Catholic Research Resources Alliance (CRRA)
{{authority control Media coverage of Catholic Church sexual abuse scandals National newspapers published in the United States Newspapers established in 1964 Liberalism in the United States