Other sources for the study of Vatican II. Journalism, Diaries, and Mass Media

This article explores the impact of media (television, radio, newspapers and reviews, press conferences, and correspondence) on the Second Vatican Council. For the first time, a council was convoked in the age of modern mass media, which, as it turned out, provided relevant sources for interpreting the event itself. The mass media attention created an unexpected relationship of centripetal and centrifugal forces. On the one hand, from internal to external: the media conveyed more information about conciliar events and about what happened inside than had ever been done before, as shown by council fathers’ personal diaries. On the other hand, from external to internal: the media influenced the council fathers themselves and their own discussions. In fact, Vatican II was not only the first in the Church’s history to unfold before radio microphones and in the spotlight of national and international TV and film cameras, it was also the first to receive almost total, simultaneous coverage for the whole period, thus giving the meeting a new and unique format in terms of information and participation.