Journalists, especially opinion writers, crystallise public thought. If their responsibility is to reflect the culture they live in - ie. one of relativism, pragmatism and rampant individualism - then they are very “responsible” to their calling.

But if we choose to define the responsiblity of the media as one of a higher calling - ie. to infuse debates with principles and morality, no matter how anachronistic they seem today - then they often, though not always, failed to act responsibly.

I don’t think they set out to do this in the first place. A media lecture I went to in my uni days was entitled, “Why moral posturing is ruining public debate”. I think that says it all. In short, we need more christians in the media.

-Sophia (a journalist)

Is it possible for theological commentators to write clearly anymore?
If a journalist wrote about the views of christian commentators in the same way that Peter Bolt writes about journalists, there would be pulpit rumblings.
Peter cites someone “on the airways”. We don’t even know if they are a journalist. Its like reporting the views of a “prominent preaching identity”. We don’t know if it is Brian Houston or Phillip Jensen. Both might be offended.
Peter cites a female commentator - from the dailies. Still don’t know if she is a journalist , or the context. Perhaps a comment piece on an oped page?Journalists or not,  commentators in the papers, contra Bolt, expect contradiction, whether in the letters page or the column of a rival. They are part of a flow of comment, and objections principled or not are bound to be raised.
Unlike preachers, they can expect public feedback.
Judging by strength of argument this part of the sola panel appears to be operating at low power.

Those are some excellent insights, John. If Christians wish to improve the standard of journalism, they would do well to set an example first. I’ve seen enough Christian journalism to demonstrate to me that it is not merely the secular media that are to blame.

It’s worth pointing out that considerable debate exists about the role that journalists play in the reporting of the news. Should they be impartial observers, or is it actually beneficial for the journalist to write from his or her own perspective. Is such a thing as neutrality even possible? Personally, I’d suggest not, which is why independent media and differing perspectives from within the same publication is necessary.