RIGHT REVEREND READERS
The press: Paul Johnson
on the newspapers the bishops enjoy
STRICT duty, I suppose, suggests I ought to be writing this week about the mess into which the Telegraph group has got itself. But after a fortnight spent at the party conferences I am tired of rows and turn instead to that instructive subject, the reading habits of our higher clergy. I owe the information on this to an excellent quarterly which ought to be better known: The Journalist's Handbook, edited by Ken- neth Roy and produced by Carrick Pub- lishing, 28 Miller Road, Ayr. Roy had the shrewd idea of asking leading figures from the Anglican, papist, Church of Scotland and Jewish worlds what they took in the way of newpapers and mags. He drew a blank or two. Cantuar, rather stuffily, merely sent a message through his media secretary saying he 'declines to single out individual newspapers or periodicals from his wide reading list', and Ebor gave a few titles without comment, adding grandly, 'My press officer also produces cuttings . . relevant to my current concerns.' But others were more forthcoming.
Prelates, Rupert Murdoch will be glad to know, still broadly favour the Times, no less than 18 out of 34 of them stating they read it. The Bishop of Truro, indeed, claims 'it never really occurs to me to take anything else'. But the figure is not as impressive as it seems. The Bishop of Portsmouth sticks to it 'primarily for old times' sake' and his RC colleague in the same city 'mainly out of habit', while the Bishop of Manchester thinks its 'editorial policy has declined sadly in recent years'. He reads it for the correspondence, as does the RC Bishop of Lancaster who admits he spends 'an inordinate amount bf time with the Letters page'. One reason so many cling to the Times is its ecclesiastical correspondent, Clifford Longley, who is mentioned by no less than 10 replies, far more than any other journalist (others cited include Bernard Levin and Hugo Young — several times each — Mary Holland, Andrew Brown, Ian Aitken, Peter Kellner, Neal Ascherson and even Roy Hattersley). The Independent is given frequently as an alternative to the Times, and the Guardian occasionally. The Bishop of Chichester, a firm Times man ('still the best paper for news') also 'looks at' the Guardian and Telegraph when 'at the House of Lords or at my club'.
There is similar strong backing for the Church Times, though I note that the Tablet is also well-read and not just by papists (Rabbi Lionel Blue even takes the Catholic Universe because 'I enjoy reading about monks and nuns'). The Church Times, however, raises hackles. The Bishop of Monmouth asks for forgiveness for taking it: 'It is a professional require- ment'. Portsmouth says, 'I skim through fit] as quickly as possible rather than read for enjoyment', Birmingham reads it 'with- out much relish', Lincoln 'simply for the news' and Bristol 'for an opportunity to express righteous indignation'. Chichester says, 'I gave up taking the Church Times some few years ago as I found their editorial policy deplorable.' On the other hand, Southwell finds it 'excellent'.
These ecclesiarchs are quirky. The Chief Rabbi likes to read papers he doesn't agree with. The RC Bishop of Arundel, believing the next world is more important than this, turns first to the obituaries. The Abbot of Buckfast thinks the 'only sensible way' to deal with newspapers is to 'mark' items of 'It's a heritage centre.'
interest and then 'read those carefully'; as he hasn't time for this, he reads none. Nor does Peterborough since he ceased to be Chairman of the Church of England Coun- cil for Communications. The next day '1 asked my wife if she would mind terribly if we had no more newspapers in the house. She replied that she had been praying for this day for- years.' Since then he has stopped reading them, except for the local freebies, 'which are delivered anyhow'. Gloucester has `no time — in both senses of the word — for Sunday newspapers'. One former Moderator of the Church of Scotland has 'for financial reasons' cut down 'radically' on papers. Another takes the Listener, adding plaintively, 'which I used to get for free when on the Broadcast- ing Council for Scotland'. And here is a vignette of the Bishop of Exeter's reading routine: Always turn first to the Court Page lof the Times] for Clifford Longley and to sec who has died, who been appointed, who been to dinner or a memorial service; that is, after glancing at the front page, returning thither in the evening. At breakfast, alter Court Page, hack to Page 2 for the Home News. nice light reading before going off to my desk. Foreign news or features wait till the evening, or lunch if my wife is out.
The most assiduous reader, by my cal- culation, is the Cardinal Archbishop of Armagh, who gets through six daily papers (all Irish) and nine weeklies, 'plus one each from France, Germany, Austria and Italy'.
The monthlies, he adds, 'are legion'. .
Our top clergy, it is a relief to find, delve into an extraordinary range of journals. Bath and Wells likes the TLS; Manchester. who I. imagine is the nearest we have to the Right Revd Dr Spacely-Trellis, the New Statesman and SOciety; Lincoln dallies be- tween Farmers' Weekly and Private Lye. Middlesbrough (RC) takes Community Care, adding darkly, 'The topics I look for first in a newspaper are references to the penal system.' Truro reads:the Daily Mail largely for the cartoon strips'. Southwark has a taste for 'housing magazines'. 'For enjoyment', says the Rabbi Blue, 'I like W6man's Own, People's Friend and Bello.' He also reads 'from cover to cover' Moon! Carmel 'because it has hot tips on spiritual- ity from people I know'. Bristol turns `to visual forms of communication for prefer- ence'. • Yet another former Moderator sticks to the Scottish Journal of Theology and Expository Times (I like the Sound of that). Portsmouth, 'for a measure of enjoy- ment', subscribes to the Organists' ReView. All in all, this survey confirms one's view that the higher clerics are leftward-leaning, thaugh nothing like as much as I expected. Indeed they seem more small-c conserva- tive than anything else. As usual, the Chief Rabbi deserves the last word: 'Even the most ephemeral writings', he notes, 'con- tribute to eternity, provided they contain some grains of truth which are indestructi- ble.' So there's hope for the likes of Kelvin Mackenzie yet.
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