Sick-making “journalism”

You couldn’t get a bigger dollop of glutinous, oleaginous sycophancy if you tried. The Herald in Scotland is clearly looking forward to next year’s proposed visit by one of the most evil men in the world, Pope Ratzinger.

Look at this choice phraseology on the part of the writer, Michael Settle (the emboldening is mine):

• “The strongest likelihood is that His Holiness will visit Glasgow to . . .”;
• “The Scottish Secretary, who has been tasked by Prime Minister Gordon Brown to lead the UK Government’s liaison with the Vatican over the expected papal visit, told The Herald his meeting with His Holiness was an extraordinary personal moment”;
• “Yesterday morning, after an interview with Vatican radio, Mr Murphy attended the Pope’s general weekly audience with pilgrims and then had a personal meeting with the Holy Father accompanied by Cardinal O’Brien”.

What is all this “His Holiness” and “Holy Father” shit? Why is a journo using these terms? What’s wrong with “the Pope” or “Pope Benedict”?

Is it really the job of a journo, doing an ordinary news story, note, not a comment piece, to be so partisan, and give this monster these slimy honorifics? Isn’t a straightforward news story supposed to be down-the-middle neutral?

I’ve put the link to this greasy lump of verbal stodge up top somewhere, but go to it only if you really feel you ought to read the story. I warn you: it’s enough to make you want to projectile-vomit all over this journo’s keyboard. In fact, it’s very likely Mr Settle did just that – and out popped his article.