Sunday, July 8, 2007

CBCP launches online news service

THE Media Office of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) launched its online news service at the press room of CBCP Media Office, July 5.

With a specific mission of helping “spread the Gospel through contemporary technologies of communication by re-telling in news reports and features how it is witnessed in the daily events and lives of people”, CBCPNews is the first local online Catholic news service in the country.

Present during the launching which was attended by members of the CBCP press corps, were CBCP President, Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, DD; CBCP Media Director, Msgr. Pedro Quitorio; and staff of CBCP Media Office.

Explaining the objectives of CBCPNews before the press, Lagdameo said that the online news service provides a “more organized thrust in evangelization, conscientization and formation of public opinion according to the Gospel values that can be attained.” (PCP-II, 102-105).

With evangelization as its primary objective, CBCPNews is an excellent means of spreading the Gospel in the fastest way possible.

Quitorio said reports posted in the news service can be downloaded free of charge.

“It will be circulated to the global community free-of-charge through its online facility (www.cbcpnews.com), email subscriptions, RSS (Really Simple Syndication) or through the CBCP Monitor,” said Quitorio.

CBCPNews sources its news primarily from the statements coming from the CBCP President and the Permanent Council. Other sources include the various Episcopal Commissions and the bishops in their respective dioceses.

The online news service was conceptualized as “an independent news organization to be staffed by Catholic journalists dedicated to providing accurate news written from a distinctively Catholic perspective.”

Though the project was approved by CBCP Permanent Council as early as 1997, various constraints such as personnel and logistics, kept the news service to become fully operationalized until this year.

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