Get Religion is a national and global journalism site focusing on how the mainstream press covers religion news in politics, entertainment, business and sports.
On this week’s Crossroads, host Todd Wilken and I talked about media coverage of Rick Perry’s appeal to evangelicals, the role of religion in the U.K. riots and World Youth Day.
The Wall Street Journal tackles problems with religious freedom in China on both is news and editorial pages this week. In the opinion piece, the editors argue that China may have succeeded in using breakdowns to deter resistance in the past, but shows how recent actions by Buddhists, Muslims and Catholics show the crackdowns are now creating more resistance.
The Roman Catholic Church is having its World Youth Day in Madrid, an event geared toward young people and held in celebration of the Catholic faith. These events are held locally every year and internationally every two to three years. They attract hundreds of thousands of youth from all over the globe and they’ve been credited with helping young people get more involved in the church. This marks the world’s largest gathering of young people. This year is no exception. As many as 1.5 million people are expected for Saturday’s vigil and Sunday’s Papal Mass outside the city.
The death and destruction caused by rioters in the U.K. has been difficult to watch. I’ve followed the stories and wondered about how well the religion angles have been covered. One tragic story sticks out for how well a victim’s family religion was highlighted. That story is about the death of Haroon Jahan, one of three Muslim men to die after being hit by a car during riots in Birmingham. Reuters reported how his father Tariq Jahan rushed to aid the men, only to find out that one of the victims was his own son:
Republicans had a big weekend between the Iowa Straw Poll and the announcement from Texas Gov. Rick Perry that he’s running for President. Rep. Michele Bachman won Iowa, making her the first female to achieve that feat. But what about fellow evangelical Perry?
The Associated Press has issued a style and reference guide for its reporters to follow when covering the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
I am blessed to have many godchildren. Seven, in fact. I witnessed their baptisms, pray for them daily, and am either engaged in their religious instruction or ready to be in the case their parents need the assistance. Of all my vocations, being a godmother is one of my very favorite. My children have very special godparents who serve that role for them.
This is a lede to a New York Times story that ran this past weekend. The article is headlined, oddly, “Politicians Open Front on Abortion in Bay Area“:
Grantland is Bill Simmons’ new website for long-form sports journalism. The articles and essays aim to connect sports stories to larger cultural trends and ideas. They aspire to make sense of sports stories.
