National Catholic Reporter launches TikTok account; Pope Francis LGBTQ video goes viral

NEW YORK, Feb. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Catholic Reporter (NCR), the independent Catholic news organization, has officially launched its presence on the video social networking site TikTok (@ncronline). Already, one of its videos has gone viral, with over three-quarters of a million views.

"The National Catholic Reporter is committed to reaching Catholics — especially younger Catholics — where they are, and social media, including TikTok, is where they are," said Heidi Schlumpf, NCR executive editor and vice president.

In January, a video that shared the Pope Francis' comments that parents should not condemn LGBTQ children was shared widely and today has more than 750,000 views.

"TikTok is great place to connect with prospective readers who may not be aware of the National Catholic Reporter's 58-year history of independent journalism," said Shannon Evans, NCR's social media editor, "Younger audiences, in particular, have responded eagerly to discovering the presence of progressive Catholic journalism on their favorite social media platform."

NCR opened its TikTok account in November. Its videos have focused on the Vatican and other news, stories about sisters from NCR's sister publication, Global Sisters Report, and updates from EarthBeat, NCR's coverage of the intersection of climate justice and faith. Others posts feature day-in-the-life videos of NCR staff, including one copy editor's dog getting treats on his namesake's feast day.

The National Catholic Reporter is also on Facebook (with nearly 300,000 followers); Twitter (with more than 53,000 followers) and Instagram (with more than 7,000 followers).

SOURCE The National Catholic Reporter Publishing