Get Religion is a national and global journalism site focusing on how the mainstream press covers religion news in politics, entertainment, business and sports.
The other day, I wrote a rather nakedly personal post here about that CatholicVote.com ad about the rather interesting and obvious fact that, faced with a crisis pregnancy long ago, the mother of President Barack Obama decided to let her unborn child live, and thrive and make history. It’s the YouTube at the top of this post, again.
When the Episcopal Bishop of Washington participates in a conference on religion and politics, it’s not necessarily newsworthy. When that conference takes place in Tehran, Iran, and the same bishop has a private meeting with the theocratic nation’s top spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Hoseini Khamenei, it deserves more attention.
When the President of the United States appoints an official to lead, say, the Department of Health and Human Services, reporters generally tell their readers or viewers what that person believes about issues relating to health. The same is generally true for positions such as Attorney General or any other position that has some level of autonomy from the chief executive.
One of the mantras of modern journalism is, “Show me, don’t tell me.” In other words, when in doubt use images and information that describe people and events, not tacked-on labels that are often vague and judgmental.
I’m not sure if a single person in Washington knows what all is in — or will be in — the $825 BILLION spending bill about to be passed by the Democratic-led Congress. There might not even be a current copy of the bill for taxpayers or journalists to peruse. It makes it a very difficult story to report – not that many reporters are known for in-depth budget reporting.
I’ve been under the weather for a few days but didn’t want to overlook some news coverage from the end of last week.
Here’s a term that you should get used to hearing once again, during the era of President Barack Obama — “civil religion.”
As regular readers know, your GetReligionistas have had our issues with the postmodern Newsweek magazine ever since we opened this website.
By this time, the professionals in the mainstream press are starting to settle down, which means that the unrepentant shivers that ran up their legs, into their spins and into the depths of their souls are starting to fade just a bit. Soon, most scribes will get down to the hard business of criticizing the new administration — from the cultural left.
