Yesterday, I wrote a post noting how the mainstream media were following to a tee the media plan of same-sex advocates. I asked for stories that broke the mold. A few readers obliged, sending along a story written and broadcast by National Public Radio’s Barbara Bradley Hagerty. It’s beautifully written and crafted and really enlightens readers and listeners about the tensions involved in legal battles over gay issues. Here’s how the story is framed:
Kiss pic or no kiss pic?
Our friends over at the diversity and ethics offices at Poynter.org have run a really interesting commentary on a media issue at the heart of debates about fair and accurate coverage of same-sex marriage.
All the trimmings in Anglican land
Holy matrimony from Cana to California
Of the many stories dealing with same-sex marriage in California, one San Francisco Chronicle story in particular deserves a look. Headlined “Bay Area churches opened door to same-sex vows,” the reporter skims the surface of the history of same-sex rites in Christian churches and managed to get the attention of more than a few GetReligion readers in the process:
God, man and Tony Blair
One question my students always ask is this: “How do journalists decide what parts of a speech are most important? How do you know what goes at the top of the story?”
From our "no comment" department
I should go on the record and admit that, in the long run, I think it’s about time for a divorce between the British government and the Anglican establishment, as a simple nod to the reality on the ground.
The missing majority (again)
Yesterday I pointed out the Los Angeles Times‘ rather incomplete survey of “liberal and conservative congregations” on the issue of same-sex marriage. Seventy-five percent of the religious figures who took a position in the article were exuberant about the recent California Supreme Court ruling redefining marriage to include same-sex couples.
An imam and a pastor vs. California
Yesterday I complained about a Los Angeles Times story that profiled only one couple — an Evangelical Christian one — to represent the 61 percent of California voters who voted to limit marriage to one man and one woman. It was their support of the traditional definition of marriage that was ruled unconstitutional by the California State Supreme Court last week.
Explaining cybercommunion
Sometimes I’m surprised at how little the media covers the vibrant world of online religion. Snejana Farberov of Columbia News Service penned a piece about, loosely, God and the internet. She describes how churches broadcast their sermons online:
