Pope Leo XIV denounced the “degrading” online media practice Thursday during a Vatican conference with dozens of journalists.
“Communication must be freed from the misguided thinking that corrupts it, from unfair competition and the degrading practice of so-called clickbait,” the pope declared to roughly 150 members of the newswire group Minds International.
Along with condemning clickbait — a form of sensationalist headline writing designed to rope in readers — as practice, the head of the Catholic Church praised the work reporters are doing from the war-torn front lines of Gaza and Ukraine.
“Free access to information is a pillar that upholds the edifice of our societies, and for this reason, we are called to defend and guarantee it,” he said.
“Current events call for particular discernment and responsibility, and it is clear that the media has a crucial role in forming consciences and helping critical thinking.”
Pope Leo has hailed journalism as “a public good that we all should protect” during the first six months of his papacy. 
