VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis is criticizing journalists who dredge up old scandals and sensationalize the news, saying it's a "very serious sin" that hurts all involved. He reminded journalists to provide precise, complete and correct information and not to provide one-sided reports

Francis, who plans to dedicate his upcoming annual communications message to "fake news," told Catholic media on Saturday that journalists perform a mission that is among the most "fundamental" to democratic societies.

The pope said: "You shouldn't fall into the 'sins of communication:' disinformation, or giving just one side, calumny that is sensationalized, or defamation, looking for things that are old news and have been dealt with and bringing them to light today."

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He called those actions a "grave sin that hurts the heart of the journalist and hurts others."