Overview

• Pope Leo XIV addressed executives at the MINDS International conference in the Vatican, urging, "never sell out your authority" and condemning the degrading practice of click-bait.
• He reiterated his call for the release of jailed reporters, stating that journalism is not a crime and that free access to information underpins democratic societies.
• The pope praised journalists reporting from conflict zones, saying public understanding of wars in Gaza and Ukraine is largely owed to their frontline work, and he remembered those killed on assignment.
• He cautioned that artificial intelligence is reshaping information flows, calling for vigilance so technology does not replace human judgment and so algorithms do not concentrate power in the hands of a few.
• Highlighting a 'double crisis' for news agencies, he cited financial strain and audiences struggling to distinguish truth from lies, and he urged transparency, accountability and objectivity to rebuild trust.