The National Catholic Reporter
| Type | Biweekly |
|---|---|
| Format | Non-profit newspaper |
| Owner(s) | The National Catholic Reporter Publishing Company |
| Founder(s) | Robert Hoyt |
| Publisher | Thomas C. Fox |
| Editor | Dennis Coday |
| Founded | 1964 |
| Language | English |
| Headquarters | Kansas City, Missouri |
| Circulation | 35,000 (as of 2013) |
| ISSN | 0027-8939 |
| Website | ncronline |
The National Catholic Reporter (NCR) is an American Roman Catholic newspaper. Based in Kansas City, Missouri, NCR was founded by Robert Hoyt in 1964. Hoyt wanted to bring the professional standards of secular news reporting to the press that covers Catholic news, saying that "if the mayor of a city owned its only newspaper, its citizens will not learn what they need and deserve to know about its affairs". The publication, which operates outside the authority of the Catholic Church, is independently owned and governed by a lay board of directors.
The paper is published bi-weekly, with each issue including national and world news sections, as well as an opinion and arts section. Each paper runs an average of 32 pages, which includes special sections, a section published in each issue devoted to a particular topic.
Each issue includes news stories, analysis, commentary, opinion and editorials. The Opinion and Arts section contains book and film reviews, as well as spiritual reflections, along with letters to the editor, classifieds and editorials.
The organization reported $4.3 million in annual revenue in 2013. The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation is a major financial supporter of the newspaper.
The supplemental volume of the Encyclopedia of Catholic Social Thought, Social Science, and Social Policy writes that NCR "has been criticized for ideological bias and a tilt in favor of progressive Catholicism and dissent, not only in its editorial and opinion pages but in its news coverage as well, together with an excessive readiness to dispute and oppose statements and actions of the Holy See and the bishops."
Promoting a progressive position, NCR presents itself "as one of the few, if not the only truly independent, journalistic outlet for Catholics and others who struggle with the complex moral and societal issues of the day." However, the publication has been accused of ideological bias, favoring voices of dissent within the Catholic Church both in its expression of opinion and in its choice of news to report and of tending to criticize statements by the Holy See and Catholic bishops.NCR has asserted that climate change is the most important pro-life issue facing the Catholic Church.
In 1968, Kansas City Bishop Charles Herman Helmsing issued a statement condemning NCR, saying it had a "policy of crusading against the Church's teachings," a "poisonous character" and "disregard and denial of the most sacred values of our Catholic faith." Helmsing warned that NCR's writers were likely guilty of heresy and subject to the automatic excommunication that incurs. Because the publication "does not reflect the teaching of the Church, but on the contrary, has openly and deliberately opposed this teaching," he asked the editors to "drop the term 'Catholic' from their masthead" because "they deceive their Catholic readers and do a great disservice to ecumenism by ... watering down Catholic teachings."
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