The elderly journalism professor entered the daily editorial meeting with a priest. The professor had a standing invitation to participate in the daily ritual of a local news organization to discuss and set the coverage priorities each morning.
Before the meeting started, the professor introduced his guest. “This is my new friend, Father Brandsma. We just met this morning at a coffee shop, had a friendly chat, and I thought he might have some wisdom to share during this meeting. He’s a Carmelite priest, professor, and journalist. His story is one all journalists should emulate. Maybe he’ll share some of it with us.”
The priest smiled warmly at the room full of journalists. “I’m delighted to be among such fine journalists, both young and old. I hope the fight for truth is not only alive and well, but that truth-telling efforts have led to an enlightened and engaged public.”
The Editor-in-Chief, known as Ed, sat at the head of the long conference table. “Welcome, Father Brandsma. Please feel free to share your thoughts any time during our editorial meeting. We hope you find our morning news ritual informative. You could say we live in a news-rich environment.”
The priest was older, probably in his sixties, with a kind face and a calming demeanor. One of the reporters thought, there’s a powerful, quiet strength about Father Brandsma.
“Okay, let’s start with state and local news,” Ed said.
The State Editor, Sydney, began. “Here’s an item that will grab people’s attention. The Governor and the State Surgeon General want to ban vaccine mandates for children entering public schools.”
“Wow!” Ed said, rolling his eyes toward the ceiling. “What else?”
Sydney continued. “The law banning cloud seeding took effect on July 1. Still, people complain that it’s happening because they keep seeing chemtrails in the sky. Some believe cloud seeding causes rain, which can cause severe and dangerous weather events. Conspiracy theorists even claim it caused the terrible flooding in the Texas Hill Country that killed those young campers.”
“Excuse me,” Father Brandsma asked. “People really believe chemtrails are a sign of cloud seeding? And isn’t cloud seeding a dubious practice at best?”
“True,” Sydney said, and continued with her report.
“The Lee County Sheriff’s Office will have all four of its ice cream trucks out this weekend at locations known for illegal migration activity. LCSO is betting illegal immigrants will bring their children for free ice cream. ICE agents—not to be confused with ice cream—will swoop in and arrest the parents, sending them to San Serriffe, and the children to Nutopia.”
A reporter sarcastically asked, “Do we know what flavors LCSO will be serving this time? Last time they ran out of vanilla in minutes.”
“Law enforcement would actually separate parents from children?” Father Brandsma asked.
“Yep! The White House claims the country is in the midst of an emergency, and immigrants are murderers, rapists, and gang members,” the professor said.
The priest looked around the table. “How can the White House broad-brush a group of people who overwhelmingly are looking for a better and honest life?”
Unfortunately, a significant portion of the public believes that immigrants are a threat,” Ed said.
Brandsma adjusted his scholarly glasses. “I hesitate to reference my days in the past, but have we learned nothing?”
“What do you mean?” Ed asked.
“As the meeting is over, I’ll explain,” said Father Brandsma.
Mack, the National Editor, spoke up. “National has a lot on its plate. The President changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. He wants to restore Confederate monuments and revert military bases to their Confederate names. He’s also demanding that Washington’s NFL franchise and Cleveland’s MLB team go back to their original names.”
“Additionally, people are showering the President with extravagant gifts. One country gave him a large plane. He wants to keep it after his term in office ends.
“It’s good to be the king,” muttered a voice from the room.
“Oh, there’s more,” said Mack. “The President announced he wants to make Canada the 51st state and annex both the Panama Canal and Greenland.”
Here’s another scoop: He’s considering turning the ruins of Gaza into a huge luxury resort—complete with golf courses, beachfront villas, and infinity pools. The homeless Palestinians could work as staff in the hotels and restaurants, if they qualify for visas.
He also ended foreign aid and medical research, declared war on elite universities, and started selling bitcoins from the Oval Office gift shop. Additionally, he launched his own retail line: Bibles, gold watches, and presidential sneakers.”
Mack continued with his news budget. “He sent National Guard troops to Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., because crime is rumored to be out of control due to the so-called ‘criminal illegals’ posing as laborers. The fact is, crime has been steadily decreasing, but the President insists the lower figures are rigged. The President now wants to send National Guard troops to other cities like Chicago.”
“The President’s really busy,” Mack said. “He wants museums like the Smithsonian to whitewash history. He says no one wants to hear about slavery. He insists the history of the United States should show only the glory of democracy—sunny optimism, that’s what people want.”
“What’s going on with the Secretary of Homeland Security?” someone asked.
Rich, the Safety and Security Editor, replied, “Do you remember when the Secretary told the story about taking her unruly puppy named Cricket to a quarry and shooting it—and she said she shot a goat too? Well, gun manufacturers are now competing to win her approval for a new firearm: The Cricket Killer.”
“Did the goat not count for anything?” the Sports Editor asked.
“No, silly!” Rich replied.
“Rich, what’s going on with Defense?”
“Well, the Secretary of Defense is using a new app to share top-secret military plans—sometimes even with people who don’t need to know. Oh, and the President wants to rename the Department of Defense the Department of War.
Just then, a deputy editor burst through the door. “This is BIG! Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announced their engagement!”
“Holy cow!” cried Ed. “Finally, some happy news. People need to know where they’ll honeymoon. Will they outspend Bezos and what’s-her-name? Who’ll make the gown? I bet Justin Baldoni won’t get an invitation. Ha!”
Father Brandsma sensed the meeting was wrapping up. “May I share something hard to believe, but true?”
Everyone stopped talking and turned to the kindly priest.
“As the professor said, I was a priest, professor, and journalist. I use the past tense because my physical life’s work is over, though I hope the spirit of my values lives on through you and others in the quest for truth and understanding. During my lifetime, I witnessed the rise of Nazism and the early years of World War II. While I was a Dutch Catholic priest, I also served as a pastor to journalists who faced pressure to spread hateful propaganda. When the German army invaded the Netherlands, we journalists confronted Nazi propaganda despite the danger, to uphold truth and our moral responsibilities to our fellow men and women.”
He paused, then said, “Here’s what I told journalists: ‘After churches, the press is the best pulpit from which to proclaim the truth. The press is the power of the word against the violence of arms. It is the power of our fight for the truth.’”
“I stood fast in the face of hate and propaganda. Eventually, our occupiers sent me to Dachau, but even there, my captors could not silence my preaching until they executed me in July of 1942.”
“I knew it would cost me my life. Dying for the truth is greater than living for lies and hate.”
He looked around the table. “Now, I must return to heaven. I pray you will stand firm and seek the truth. No matter how tough things get, truth and integrity are everything to a journalist.”
“Faithfully and courageously reflect the truth. Your readers and listeners expect and deserve your best work. It will be their wisdom that keeps humanity on track.”
Father Brandsma turned to the professor. “I have just one odd question. Why do everyone’s teeth look like they’ve been dipped in black shoe polish?”
“Ah,” said the professor. “We stopped putting fluoride in the water because people believed it made us stupid. We chose intelligence over nice-looking teeth.”
Father Brandsma’s last words were, “Lord, help these people.” Then he left the room.
Commentator’s footnote: This column is, of course, a work of fiction. Father Titus Brandsma, however, was a hero in the face of fascism during World War II. He was beatified by the Catholic Church in 1985 and canonized a saint by Pope Francis in 2022. Saint Brandsma is considered the patron saint of modern journalism. San Serriffe and Nutopia are fictitious names for fictitious places.