"The contributions of this special issue are grouped in three sections: context, theoretical framework and empirical research. The first articles set up two important dimensions of the context we are living in that have to be definitely improved if we want to take advantage of the positive sides of
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Covid-19’s effects to bring about real social relations and a good communication of science [...] The following articles deal with three important core components needed to set up a theoretical framework, from which this issue intends to start a serious scholarly conversation around the lessons learned from the Covid’s impact on social communication: (1) how a person knows and shapes his/her judgment in practical affairs when s/he is critically involved in them, (2) why and how science has surrendered to technology in the last decades, (3) and how practical knowledge is socially shared [...] The context and theoretical framework having been set up, the issue enters into the empirical part of our research: several papers examine the news coverage of the Church dealing with the pandemic in a good sample of newspapers around the world, one paper looks at how social media have engaged in the response to the pandemic by the Catholic Church, and another at how local churches have managed the challenges of the pandemic [...] The analysis of worldwide media coverage aims to find out how the mainstream press has portrayed the role of Christian churches and other religious bodies in dealing with the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic. All researchers have broadly shared a common qualitative methodology: looking for the frames and inducing the topoi (common places) underlying the resulting frames of the examination of news and editorial items." (Pages 2-4)
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"The role of the institutional communicator in the Church today has a special relevance derived from the credibility crisis suffered by this institution. A greatly increased awareness to this theme leads to the discovery of profound and essential dimensions of this role, which are discussed in this
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article. The focus is on the credibility of the communicator, who, on one hand is called to take full responsibility for what he says, but on the other hand speaks in the name of and through a collective subject—the Church or one of its specific constituent parts—that doesn’t always receive much appreciation from its numerous audiences; it is actually often perceived to be “biased” as an institution, it is widely opposed and criticized. An in-depth analysis regarding the role of credibility from a sociological point of view is illustrated by the application of the three roles identified by Erving Goffman—animator, author and principal—to the figure of the institutional communicator, underlining his responsibilities as communication co-leader. A comparison with the concept of translator as a mediator illuminates other characteristics of the communicator, and functions as a basis to comment on some of the virtues (both personal and professional), which he must possess, enhancing both his credibility and efficiency. The application of the concept of creative fidelity (fidélité créatrice) from the French philosopher Gabriel Marcel, together with the interrelation between comprehension and exposition in a comprehensible manner (hermeneutics and creativity), highlights the necessity of reconsidering the importance of communication and of the communicator within the decision-making process." (Abstract)
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