Even the Pope thinks fake news is a scourge

Weary journalists got a pep talk from none other than Pope Francis this week, with the head of the Roman Catholic Church calling for "rediscovering the dignity of journalism" and condemning fake news.

Francis released a message Wednesday called "The truth will set you free: Fake news and journalism for peace." Armed with evidence of biblical proportions, the Pope went about defining fake news and instructing us how to recognize it and combat it.

Frankly, we could use all the help we can get in that department.

"Fake news is a sign of intolerant and hypersensitive attitudes, and leads only to the spread of arrogance and hatred," Pope Francis said. "That is the end result of untruth."

Pope Francis even compared fake news to the the Serpent's manipulation of Eve in the Garden of Eden.

The Pope chose to speak on this topic as one of his "world communication day" addresses. But this isn't the first time he's tackled urgent issues that are relevant to religious and secular audiences alike. Francis has previously spoken out in support of DACA, and he even issued a papal statement on climate change. His stances often run directly counter to Donald Trump's, which has led to some awkward encounters.

This recent message isn't likely to change things. Trump often rants about "fake news," but Trump's definition of "fake news" is misinformation itself: Trump has been known to call all news that criticizes him "fake news," which is in line with the public's eroding trust in journalism and lack of clarity about what is fake, and what is fact.

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While Francis may have waded into some well-trodden digital waters in his fake news call-to-arms, maybe the moral dimension that he's bringing to our digital moment is something that's missing.

"The economic and manipulative aims that feed disinformation are rooted in a thirst for power," the Pope says. "That is why education for truth means teaching people how to discern, evaluate and understand our deepest desires and inclinations, lest we lose sight of what is good and yield to every temptation."

"Truth is something we can lean on so as not to fall."

Let's hope so, because it's a long way down.