Fact Check Friday is a Catholic Connection show segment dedicated to revealing how the mainstream media is manipulating the information they report. I separate the facts from fiction so you can make informed decisions.
Tune in Fridays at 9am ET on Catholic Connection
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Fact Check Friday Segments
September 15, 2023 – How loneliness can be combated with shared places to hang out, like communities of old. Click here to listen. (Segment begins at 33:10)
September 8, 2023 – Parents in an Irish town keep elementary school children from smart phones with very positive results. Click here to listen. (Segment begins at 25:47)
September 1, 2023 – NY Times columnist says left-leaning people have ‘blind spot’ on class that stems from their disdain for blue-collar White Americans. Click here to listen. (Segment begins at 25:48)
August 25, 2023 – A Maryland school district refuses to give parents the option to opt-out of controversial and highly sexualized LGBT and gender books for their pre-school and elementary school children. The stories the secular media wrote about this topic remind us that when we consume media we have to do our own homework, and don’t just take what they give. We also have to look at the information they leave out. Click here to listen. (Segment begins at 25:47)
August 18, 2023 – Bishop Robert Barron on World Youth Day, and people using social media to vent and be nasty, instead of using social media to actually be more social and kind, evangelize, and walk more with Jesus. Click here to listen. (Segment begins at 25:46)
August 11, 2023 – The media is trying to convince us that people don’t regret having gender reassignment surgery. Click here to listen. (Segment begins at 25:47)
August 4, 2023 – A British coffee company is using a cartoon of a “transgender man” with mastectomy scars to promote their product. The media’s response is to ignore the story or criticize those who are upset over the cartoon, even those who are women cancer survivors who needed a mastectomy. Click here to listen (Segment begins at 25:48)
July 28, 2023 – How the media covers those de-transitioning from so-called “gender-affirming care.” Click here to listen (Segment Begins at 25:46)
July 21, 2023 – An 18 yr old Nebraska woman is in jail after the destruction of the body of her third trimester aborted fetus, but that’s not how the media are covering it. Teresa & Anna Mitchell discuss this on Catholic Connection. Click here to listen (Segment Begins at 25:48)
July 14, 2023 – The media’s sin of omission: questions any high school journalism student would know to ask, plus media bias written right into the AP Style Book, a reference for journalists. Click here to listen (Segment begins at 25:48)
June 30, 2023 – The Jim Caviezel “Sound of Freedom” movie about child trafficking is in theaters now. What can you do as a Christian to help get the word out about this horrible evil? Click here to listen. (Segment begins at 25:48)
June 23, 2023 – The one year anniversary of the SCOTUS decision overturning Roe v. Wade, and how Roe’s tentacles weave through our society. Plus a valedictorian features her faith, and Focus on the Family’s new video about how the media avoids saying the word “baby.” Click here to listen. (Segment begins at 25:49)
June 9, 2023 – Catholic media can build bridges across society. Click here to Listen. (Segment begins at 25:44)
April 21, 2023 – Who is behind the transgender agenda? Follow the money. Click here to listen. (Segment begins 25:48)
April 14, 2023 – Budweiser and the Dylan Mulvaney Controversy. Ignoring basic marketing practice to push an agenda. Click here to listen (Segment begins at 25:41)
March 31, 2023 – Encouraging facts about silence to help you gain and maintain peace and health. Click here to listen (Segment begins at 27:49)
March 24, 2023 – Deliberate omission or twisting of information by the media to push an agenda, such as mischaracterizing a Florida law to protect children in schools from controversial teachings as the “Don’t Say Gay” law, even though it doesn’t mention that, or the AP Style Book, a reference book for journalists, insisting “Pregnancy Resource Centers” should be called “Anti-Abortion Centers.” Click here to listen. (Segment begins at 25:47)
March 3, 2023 – Teresa looks at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ panel discussion on defamation. Click here to listen. (Segment begins at 25:47)
February 24, 2023 – Protecting children online. How youth today are working to help solve the problem of media addiction for themselves and those to come after them Click here to listen. (Segment begins at 25:47)
February 17, 2023 – Double standards in the media, exemplified by CNN’s Don Lemon and his discussion of presidential candidate Nikki Haley. Click here to listen. (Segment begins at 25:44)
February 10, 2023 – Journalism in a post-truth world. A recent survey of journalists show prominent news organizations are deliberately dropping objectivity in the name of diversity, because they say it is “unrealistic or undesirable,” and that reporters covering a story should write it from their own viewpoint in order to convey “truth.” Click here to listen.* (Segment begins at 25:47)
*Articles mentioned for, or about, this story:
- Former Executive Editor of the Washington Post, Leonard Downey Jr’s opinion piece, “Newsrooms that move beyond ‘objectivity’ can build trust“
- Arizona State University’s Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication article: Can a journalist be trustworthy without being “objective?” (about survey, “Beyond Objectivity.“)
- From the Arizona Republic’s Phil Boaz, “ASU’s Cronkite school says ‘objectivity’ is hurting the news media. They’re wrong“
January 13, 2023 – How the Washington Post covered the funeral Mass of Pope Benedict XVI. Click here to listen. (Segment begins at 25:47)
January 6, 2023 – Teresa talks about the writings of Pope Benedict XVI. Click here to listen. (Segment begins at 32:46)
December 16, 2022 – Teresa discusses Pope Francis’ advice to look at each other, not your cell phones. Click here to listen. (Segment begins at 25:47)
December 9, 2022 – Teresa discusses the recent revelations with Twitter and Election Interference. Click here to listen. (Segment begins at 24:48)
October 28, 2022 – A large group of prominent people are very upset that Elon Musk has taken over Twitter. Musk said he wants to help humanity by allowing a range of views and greater dialog among people. Those who are upset only want one side’s views to be featured. Teresa discusses this latest development. Click here to listen. (Segment begins at 25:47)
October 14, 2022 – The episode of supposed “whipping by Border Control agents at the border” shows how government promoted a specific agenda, even though they knew it was incorrect, and how the media did not question it. Click here to listen (Segment begins at 25:47)
October 7, 2022 – A candidate pushes back on a pro-choice reporter’s question and is an example of how to handle the media. Click here to listen (Segment begins at 25:45)
September 30, 2022 – Yes, we do help pregnant women, not just their babies. Why won’t the media cover the available assistance the multitude of pro-life groups provide to women, or the help individuals give to those women in need? Click here to listen (Segment begins at 34:44)
September 23, 2022 – Why are the media hiding radical politicians who support abortion up to birth? Click here to listen. (Segment begins at 26:01)
September 16, 2022 – We listen to Fr. Gordon Reigle explain the 54-Day Rosary Novena aimed at defeating Proposal 3 in Michigan that will take all limits off abortion;
September 9, 2022 – Researchers have found sharing articles online, even if people haven’t even read the article, makes people think they know more than what they actually do, and even causes them to make important decisions or take more risks, than if they haven’t seen it. This confirms what former Archbishop Charles Chaput said in 2009 about the deluge of information from the media that causes people to have difficulty discerning what matters from what doesn’t. Click here to listen to Teresa’s Fact Check Friday on this topic. (Begins at 25:47)
September 2, 2022 – Alleged discrimination of Catholics in the hiring process and in education. What are the press doing to follow up on this story showing those in charge of hiring teachers admitting they deliberately weeded out Catholics and used certain techniques to secretly indoctrinate students with certain views? Listen here to Teresa’s Fact Check Friday. (Begins at 25:47). Also watch statement from Connecticut Catholic Conference or read their written statement.
August 19, 2022 – Why are modern media not asking the simple questions of a story such as Who, What, Where, When & Why? (Begins at 25:54)
August 12, 2022 – Know how the media work so they don’t work on you. How the media change the language they use to obfuscate the truth and make it harder to understand what is going on. (Begins at 25:48) Resources mentioned: Inter Mirifaca, The Rapid Development.
August 5, 2022 – Media misinformation campaigns, trust in the media at a low and affecting the financial viability of those companies. (Begins at 25:47)
July 29, 2022 – Journalists living in a bubble. On Fact Check Friday this week, Teresa Tomeo interviews Bill Donohue, the president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights about his article on the press living in a bubble of their own making. (Begins at 25:47)
July 22, 2022 – The secular media are ignoring the truth of their own studies on abortion, and government cutting funding to pregnancy resources centers who actually do help women (Begins at 25:47)
July 15, 2022 – Pro-life news the media are not covering (Begins at 25:47)
June 3, 2022 – How Pregnancy Resources Centers are covered in the media. (Begins at 25:50)
May 20, 2022 – What the media don’t know CAN hurt us. (Begins at 25:55)
April 22, 2022 – Considering the Source – Whether it is secular or Catholic media, use common sense and do your homework on questionable reporting. (Begins at 25:48.) Resources mentioned: Inter Mirifaca, The Rapid Development.
March 11, 2022 – The secular media, & even some “Catholic” Media make money by keeping you in constant fear. (Begins at 25:15)
February 25, 2022 – The Pope’s Lenten Message and suggestions on media use in your life and those in your family.
February 18, 2022 – The Rest of the CNN Story on Jeff Zucker and Chris & Andrew Cuomo – and why it should matter to Catholics
February 11, 2022 – The Canadian Trucking Saga & the Media (Begins at 25:45)
February 4, 2022 – The Implosion of the Secular Media & what outlets do we have that we can trust (Begins at 26:39)
January 28, 2022 – Pope to Catholic media: Check facts but always respect people (Begins at 24:58)
November 5, 2021 – Sins of Omission about “Women’s Health”. How often are abortion facilities inspected? A great many are never inspected. (Begins at 25:43).
October 22, 2021 – New Poll: 70% of Americans think Twitter & Facebook do more harm than good. (Begins at 34:50)
August 13, 2021 – Look at what the Church gives us in the media. (Begins at 25:54). Mentioned on the broadcast: Inter merifica by Pope Paul VI, The Rapid Development by Pope St. John Paul II, World Communications Day Statements since 1967.
July 30, 2021 – NPR announces new rules allowing reporters to take part in demonstrations for the “freedom and dignity of human beings.” (Begins at 25:47)
July 23, 2021 – Discerning media messages, especially how the secular press covers Catholics. (Begins at 25:48)
July 16, 2021 – Ex-Planned Parenthood CEO Is Not ‘Pro-Choice’ When It Comes To Vaccine Mandates (Begins at 26:12)
July 2, 2021 – America Ranks Dead Last Among 46 Countries in Media Trust. (Begins at 25:50)
June 4, 2021 – The Wuhan lab-leak theory concerning COVID-19 and the media’s complete lack of interest. (Begins at 24:34)
May 28, 2021 – 60 Minutes’ story about transgender youth “de-transitioning”, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfood refusing to give interviews to white reporters (Begins at 23:49)
May 21, 2021 – Fact Checkers, Lack of Knowledge, & Confirmation Bias (Begins at 25:55)
May 14, 2021 – News Producers Insisting on Pre-Conceived Story Ideas v. the Real Story. (Begins at 25:48)
May 7, 2021 – Staffing of News Outlets v. Quality Journalism v. Ad Revenue (Begins at 25:47)
April 23, 2021 – NBC Deceptive Editing of 911 Call of Police Shooting (Begins at 25:54)
April 16, 2021 – The latest revelations about CNN from James O’Keefe’s Project Veritas (Begins at 23:44)
March 26, 2021 – Teresa Analyzes President Biden’s First Press Conference (Begins at 25:47)
March 12, 2021 – The Importance of Doing Your Best to Make a Difference (Begins at 25:47)
February 26, 2021 – How the Media Are Not Covering Andrew Cuomo (Begins at 44:00)
February 5, 2021 – Journalism 101: Don’t Be Lazy, Go Out To The Story (Begins at 25:47)
December 4, 2020 – If It Bleeds It Leads: The Impact of the Media’s Doomsday COVID Coverage (Begins at 34:45)
November 20, 2020 – Election Questions That Need Answered (Begins at 42:26)
November 6, 2020 – How the News Media Have Abandoned the Most Basic of Journalistic Principles (Begins at 41:29)
October 30, 2020 – Who is Watching the Watchdogs? (Begins at 34:47)
October 23, 2020 – Sins of Omission
October 16, 2020 – Social Media Companies & Censorship
Like What You Hear? Ask Teresa to Speak at Your Event. Click Here for Info!
Recommended Reading:
Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics
Click the Graphic to be Taken Directly to the SPJ Code
Media Distortion Examples
October 2020
- CBS News’ John Dickerson on Hunter Biden laptop scandal: ‘Joe Biden has an ally in the news cycle’
- GovTrack.US: Kamala Harris is the most liberal politician in the U.S. Senate (How the press covers up a candidate’s record)
- Glenn Greenwald on resigning from his own publication due to censorship (A journalist explaining the media censorship in his own co-founded organization)
- And the accompanying Article on Joe and Hunter Biden Censored By The Intercept
