From a prayer given by Richard C. Halverson, the Senate chaplain (approx. $115,000 annual salary), on the floor of the Senate on February 26, 1992:

If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man ... the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity ... it defileth the whole body and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
—James 3:6

God of truth and light, Apostle James vividly describes the destructive nature of words, spoken and written. Having been uttered or printed, they cannot be retracted. Thank you, Lord, for a free press, for men and women dedicated to getting the facts and keeping the people informed. Thank you for their untiring effort and faithful commitment to their mandate.

But gracious Father, investigative reporting seems epidemic in an election year—its primary objective to defame political candidates. Seeking their own reputation, they destroy another's as they search relentlessly, microscopically for some ancient skeleton in a person's life. Eternal God, help these self-appointed "vacuum cleaner journalists" to discover how unproductive and divisive their efforts are.

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