First, he’s after a ‘good’ story – Good as in hot, sensational, salacious, controversial – because that’s ‘newsworthy’.

Sadly newsworthy is a subjective opinion, accountable to no one. The reporter, more specifically his editors decide what’s ‘newsworthy’ and they do this through the filter of their own biases.

One of the hot button biases is ‘hypocrisy’, specifically what they see as religious hypocrisy – not appreciating though, there is a difference between being an advocate for the ideal but falling short of it oneself and never truly holding beliefs one espouses.

Unfortunately, this journalist sleeps very well at night. He doesn’t care that he has ruined a man’s reputation for nothing nor harmed countless good works that he was instrumental in.

He sleeps with the (self) righteous contentment of someone who had upheld the highest (liberal) virtue – ‘exposing hypocrisy’.

And his editors are right behind him.

In Australia we also have a cultural phenomenon known as ‘the tall poppy syndrome’, in which someone who is high profile or successful has to be ‘cut down to size’.

It would appear that the media universally operates this way.

I’m very sorry to hear about this story, for the countless repercussions it will have in his community.

It points out the need for new media players to hold the media to account. It highlights the need to pray for and under gird our pastoral team.

Examples like the one you’ve highlighted here is the reason why I left the profession.