When Rev. Dr. Everett Parker helped launch what’s now UCC Media Justice, he did it because something was missing from the airwaves: the truth. Television stations in the South were ignoring the Civil Rights Movement, and Dr. Parker — prompted by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — took action. His work didn’t just bring public pressure; it reshaped media law and gave people the right to speak up in front of the FCC.
That legacy matters more than ever right now.
We live in a very different media world today, but the stakes are just as high. Misinformation spreads faster than facts. AI-generated content floods our social media timelines. Attacks on journalists and a free press are on the rise. And more and more, it feels like our online spaces are designed to divide us rather than bring us together.
That’s why we’re relaunching Know Peace Online, a campaign rooted in the same belief that launched our ministry: that media has the power to shape public understanding, and that we all have a responsibility to make it better. Know Peace Online invites each of us to think more intentionally about how we show up online. Because even in a noisy digital world, what we say still matters.
The campaign is grounded in six simple pillars:
- Know Your Goal: Before you post, pause and ask why. What are you hoping to say or do?
- Know Your Audience: Consider who will see your post — and who could be hurt or helped by it.
- Know Your Facts: Sharing the truth is a moral act. Check your sources.
- Know Your Responsibility: Use your voice to call out harm and lift up justice.
- Know Your Self: Let your posts reflect the kind of person you want to be.
- Know Your Limits: You don’t need to engage with everything. Protect your peace.
This moment demands something different from us. It’s not just about what’s trending — it’s about what’s true. And in a time when misinformation is everywhere, choosing to be thoughtful, truthful, and kind online is its own kind of resistance. Through our own work on a personal level, we can develop a more thoughtful analysis and understanding of the structural justice issues that must change.
We will roll out new insights on the pillars in the weeks ahead.
We can’t fix the internet overnight. But we can build something better — one post, one comment, one pledge at a time. Take the Know Peace Online pledge today.