By John Norton

OSV readers are the best (And best-informed)

The headline of a recent editorial in an archdiocesan diocesan newspaper grabbed my attention: "No (Catholic) news is not good news."

The point of the article was that without the diocesan newspaper, area Catholics wouldn't be hearing about a lot of important stories regarding the local Church. Those stories are just ignored by the mainstream news outlets, the editorialist noted: "Local media dedicated more [copy] and airtime to an atheist sign in the state Capitol this year than to the many acts of faith and generosity by Catholics and other communities of faith."

All too often, the editorialist remarked, the mainstream media's interest in the Church is attracted only by bad news and the stories of Catholics who don't live up to their religious ideals or commitments.

If that's all you're hearing about the Church, you're not getting an accurate picture.

At the Catholic Media Convention in Anaheim, Calif., last month, I was shaken by a generally poor sense of morale in the Catholic press these days. Bad news was on everyone's lips: This or that diocesan newspaper had folded entirely, or had gone from a weekly to a monthly, or had laid off staff, or had been forced to cut its budget drastically. Most people were reporting a drop in circulation, and virtually all reported a precipitous drop in advertising revenue.

At one convention luncheon, the editor sitting next to me, in a dark attempt at humor, leaned over and said, "Look at the person on your left and right. Next year, one of them won't be here."

But it is really not funny. Without reliable, well-written Catholic media driven by love for the Church, Catholics will encounter only a warped, caricatured image of the Church that will make it more difficult for them to respond to the promptings of grace and the Holy Spirit in their own lives.

Even if print media is marked for imminent burial, other forms of media will spring up to take its place -- blogs, Internet sites, online social networking groups, e-newsletters, and all the rest. But that won't happen overnight, because so far they don't generate any revenue, and without revenue, an organization cannot pay its operating expenses, including salaries for talented, experienced professional journalists.

Our Sunday Visitor is very fortunate to have a large, loyal and engaged base of subscribers. With your continued support, I know we'll weather this storm.

And someday I hope to double, triple, even quadruple our number of readers. You can help by letting friends and family know about us, and letting them know they can try us risk-free for seven issues.

Thank you, too, for your encouragement and prayers. I look forward to hearing from you at feedback@osv.com.