Pope Francis joined the chorus of condemnation of fake news, comparing it — and the media's obsession with scandal — to one of the more unsavory fetishes in the process.
Francis said spreading disinformation is "probably the greatest damage that the media can do" and that defamation is a sin during an interview with the Belgian Catholic weekly Tertio, Reuters reported.
"I think the media have to be very clear, very transparent, and not fall into — no offense intended — the sickness of coprophilia, that is, always wanting to cover scandals, covering nasty things, even if they are true," he said. "And since people have a tendency towards the sickness of coprophagia, a lot of damage can be done."
Merriam-Webster defines coprophilia as a "marked interest in excrement, especially the use of feces or filth for sexual excitement." And coprophagia? That's people who eat feces.
So, we can safely say Francis thinks fake and salacious news is pretty nasty.
