Having worked in the media for more than a dozen years and in Catholic media for the past seven, I watch media coverage of the Church closely. I am one of many who are of the firm belief that most mainstream media outlets are inherently suspicious about religion as a result of the people who inhabit the senior roles in most newsrooms. It is a widely known fact that journalists are among the more progressive groups in society, so it’s only natural that their work demonstrates that bias.

The latest example I’ve seen is in this headline in today’s New Zealand Herald: “Catholic school funds used for prostitutes“. That makes you want to read the story, right? It conjures up images of a board of trustees retreat featuring prostitutes or a school assembly that showcased prostitutes in some sort of educational way.

Headline writing isn’t one of the easiest things to do as a journalist. You’ve got to try to capture the essence of a 200-word or a 1,000-word or 5,000-word article in a few words, and it’s a skill some people struggle to acquire. You’d think the people at the largest circulation daily newspaper in the country would have the requisite skills, though.

So what is the story behind the “Catholic school funds used for prostitutes” headline? Well, some guy who worked for a Catholic college and stole tens of thousands of dollars from the school used those funds to, among other things, pay for the services of prostitutes.

Maybe I’m overly sensitive, but I think the headline stretches the truth to create a sensational headline by linking Catholicism and prostitution. The Church has a hard enough time dealing with legitimate criticism without having other spurious accusations thrown its way.