The press does not like good news: helping blind man to cross the road is not news that sells papers. Blind man hits girl with stick does make the press pages.

Over the years the Courier has ignored many successes by community groups, so really you shouldn’t have been surprised by what they print and what they do not print.

What I seem to find is that once the media panjandrum starts up, the only information that is going to make it over the net, from you at teh centre, or anyone else, is stuff that either deos, or can be twisted into, a reinforcing element of “the story.” It’s very hard not to take that personally, especially if what si being twisted is something that matters desperately to you, like your faith.

Having spent some time with you in your parish earlier this year, the crown jewels of what you’re about was obvious your commitment to holistic mission and willingness to build community and draw people together in a parish that hasn’t by any means always had a fair crack of the whip. That’s what your hard work in the school, in the broader community (with the play), in the Church is all about, and the links are seamless, because it’s not a job for you, it’s a way of life founded on faith. It’s Catholic in every sense of the term. Actually anyone who went to the place could feel what was really going on from a mile off.

Sadly this way of life, Catholic in every sense of the word, is hard to fit into the rather attentuated, ignorant “nice vicar nasty vicar” stereotype that everything has to be fitted into.

But by engaging, however hurtfully to yourself, you have at least held out the possibility of a more truthful account to those who are willing to consider such a thing possible. As for the others, a la Luke 11, maybe we all just have to shake off the dust and pass on.

I hope in all of this help was available from your DCO, and it may be there’s learning out of it for thopse of us in other diocese about the assistance and support you must need when you’re being shot at, seemingly, on your own.

Every blessing and all best — don’t let the…

I’m the journalist at Premier who rang to ask if you wanted to appear. I like to think as a Christian station, we’d have given you a fair crack of the whip to make your point, but I understand why you didn’t want to come on given your experience with the local press.

I just get frustrated with the amount of times I hear a similar story. I’ll phone someone wbout a story I’ve read to see if they want to come on the radio, and they’ll say the article was a total stitch up.

Somehow, journalists have got to get better at representing people, rather than just creating a story that isn’t there.

Best wishes for the birth and God bless,

Andy