Get Religion is a national and global journalism site focusing on how the mainstream press covers religion news in politics, entertainment, business and sports.
Out in the heartland, much of the news coverage of Republican presidential candidate John McCain’s running mate Sarah Palin has focused on how she has thrilled evangelical voters.
If you had any doubts, it has been proven that we are in an age in which the mainstream press is trying to figure out where the blogging ends and the news begins.
Sally Quinn, the atheist who professed knowing “practically nothing about religion or the internet” when she started the Washington Post/Newsweek religion site On Faith, had a curious admission in her most recent piece. Her essay is about how the news of Bristol Palin’s pregnancy will affect religious voters. She begins by admitting that Sen. John McCain’s pick of Gov. Sarah Palin angered her.
I have a bookmark set in my browsers that takes me straight to the Los Angeles Times page that contains the newspaper’s religion-news offerings, no matter where they appear in the newspaper.
In the spring, I encouraged reporters to write about the California Supreme Court’s decision to redefine marriage from the viewpoint of religious traditionalists and not just religious liberals and seculars. So I was happy to come across a recent story in The Los Angeles Times with the headline of “California churches plan a big push against same-sex marriage.” Finally, I thought, on this issue reporters were getting traditional religion.
Well, I think it’s safe to say that the mainstream media are struggling with Sen. John McCain’s pick for vice president. He clearly threw a curveball and they are working overtime to report more on Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska. Writing about someone who hasn’t attended Washington cocktail parties or has never even appeared a single time on “Meet the Press” can be difficult. Sometimes we see some mistakes.
The major news magazines’ coverage of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s religiosity was more like that found in newspapers than, well, magazines. It contained a few facts but no explanations. While there were a couple of exceptions to this trend, those exceptions are instructive.
I’m still in Denver recovering from the awesome experience of covering the Democratic National Convention. I have no idea how reporters can work this hard and with these long hours and then turn around and do it all again next week in St. Paul.
To tell you the truth, I don’t have much to say about the press coverage of the religion elements of Sen. Barack Obama’s speech from the mountaintop (of course, Denver is located on the high plains, but you know what I mean). I don’t have much to say because the mainstream press doesn’t have much to say about the topic.
