Churches and Christians are being encouraged to pray for the media on Sunday June 1st. The initiative is being led by the Church and Media Network, with prayers being submitted by the Archbishop of York, Rev Ruth Gee, President of the National Conference of the Methodist Church; Dr Daleep Mukarji, the Vice-President of the Methodist Conference; and the Rt Rev Nick Baines, the Anglican Bishop-designate of Leeds. The Church and Media Network, which seeks to encourage Christians to engage with the media, is encouraging people to submit their own prayers on the newly-launched website www.pray4media.co.uk and to tweet prayers to @pray4media. Rev Tony Miles, Chair of the Network, explained: ‘As Christians we want to affirm the media’s vital role in our society. At its best the media gives a voice to the voiceless, holds the powerful to account, highlights unjust practices, calls for justice, keeps people informed, brings us strong opinions to challenge our own – and tells stories to entertain us.’