Media

Media Outlets Struggle With Christian Terminology During Holy Week

A view of the cross and sculpture of Pieta by Nicolas Coustou in the background of debris inside Notre-Dame de Paris, in the aftermath of a fire that devastated the cathedral, during the visit of French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner (not pictured) in Paris, France, April 16, 2019. Christophe Petit Tesson/Pool via REUTERS
Virginia Kruta Associate Editor
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In the days leading up to Easter Sunday, both the New York Times and the Associated Press appeared to have a difficult time with Christian imagery.

The New York Times reported that Father Jean-Marc Fournier, who went into the still-burning Notre Dame Cathedral to rescue any relics he could, identified one of the objects Fournier saved as “a statue of Jesus.”

Upon reading the piece, the New York Post’s Sohrab Ahmari theorized that reporter Elian Peltier had likely heard the phrase “body of Christ” and, not realizing that it was a reference to the Eucharist, assumed it was a literal body or statue.

The Washington Free Beacon’s Alex Griswold captured the correction the NYT later added, making it clear that Peltier had, in fact, mistaken the “body of Christ” for a statue.

This was not the first time the NYT struggled with such terminology either. In a still-uncorrected article published April 4, 2005, reporter Ian Fisher noted that Pope John Paul II was laid in repose with his “crow’s ear.” What Fisher meant, of course, was his staff, which is called a “crosier.”

Screen Shot/The New York Times

Screen Shot/The New York Times

The Associated Press had a rough day on Friday as well, taking criticism for an article titled, “Tourist Mecca Notre Dame Also Revered As Place Of Worship.” (RELATED: These Photos Show The Damage Done To Notre Dame Cathedral)

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