Get Religion is a national and global journalism site focusing on how the mainstream press covers religion news in politics, entertainment, business and sports.
Long ago, while I was on the religion beat at the Rocky Mountain News, I covered several protests linked to military facilities — including a memorable day following Catholic activists out across the prairies of Eastern Colorado and Western Kansas looking for nuclear missile silos. Sometimes people got arrested, but most of the time the authorities looked the other way.
National Public Radio had an interesting interview a few days ago regarding the announcement of former Indianapolis Colts coach and Super Bowl champion Tony Dungy’s invitation to President Obama’s White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Yes, the invitation was officially announced (nice work Dan Gilgoff), and yes, Dungy declined that invitation for the stated reason of the time constraints of a retired NFL coach.
Considering how common in vitro fertilization and other assisted reproductive technologies are, isn’t it surprising how little the media discuss the attendant issues?
From time to time, your GetReligionistas have enjoyed poking fun at the mainstream journalists who cannot, simply cannot, accept the fact that Focus on the Family czar James Dobson is not the Rev. James Dobson.
This Sunday in Bible Class, one of the parishioners said something about how ours is a “fairly liturgical” church. My pastor immediately responded, feigning offense, “What do you mean ‘fairly’?” The truth is that I am a member of a very liturgical church and our pastor puts a lot of thought into each aspect of the liturgy. He teaches us what each part means and why it’s important. And even though I learned these things as a child, I love the refresher. And I’m very grateful to attend services so rich with meaning.
In the wake of EEE’s post on the latest nonNewsweek sermon from the Rt. Rev. Jon Meacham, please allow me to jump in with a comment or two on the Wall Street Journal counter-statement — before several dozen readers send me the URL.
Many of you know that Newsweek editor Jon Meacham has written books on topics as diverse as the friendship between Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, the faith of the founding Fathers, and the nation’s seventh President, Andrew Jackson. In the YouTube clip above, he’s discoursing in a Gettsburg College lecture about faith and President Abraham Lincoln.
If reporters want to get their telephone calls returned promptly, all they have to do is ring a branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Journalists may not get the information that they’re seeking or the full cooperation that they need — especially if they are working on a story linked to doctrine, the faith’s many critics or accusations by ex-Mormons — but that call is going to get returned.
The Chicago Tribune‘s coverage of what appears to be a minor news story about a contract dispute between a national franchise (Dunkin’ Donuts) and a local franchisee deserves a mention of praise for its accuracy and relative depth on the tricky religious and legal angles. For starters, the reporter portrays the article’s primary subject precisely and in a way that conveys the information readers need to know:
