Get Religion is a national and global journalism site focusing on how the mainstream press covers religion news in politics, entertainment, business and sports.
Worried booksellers are thanking their lucky stars for the The Lost Symbol, which has already sold a million copies since its Tuesday release. (Booksellers are also anxiously anticipating Oprah’s latest book club choice on Friday).
The New York Times started its nearly 2,2,00-word obituary of the “Green Revolution” pioneer on A1, and the first graf of the obit explains the prominent placement:
The article by Matthew Kaminski, a member of the Wall Street Journal’s editorial board, sports a clear, concise headline: “A Coach’s Faith.”
David Brooks’ Sept. 8 New York Times column hailed the arrival of National Affairs, a new quarterly magazine that seeks to occupy the same area of the public square vacated by The Public Interest (which closed in 2005): “the bloody crossroads where social science and public policy meet matters of morality, culture and virtue.”
Due to its power and prestige, The New York Times invites criticism; some of it from people of faith who feel the paper fails to give religion its due. But these critics should take note of the Labor Day edition of the Times, which provided plentiful and nuanced coverage of many major religion stories, leading me to suggest that the paper consider temporarily changing its page-one motto to: “All the Religion That’s Fit to Print.”
I read The New York Times religiously every morning, in the ink-on-paper version (!), and am thankful that in our increasingly post-print age this institution survives and continues to give me a daily window on the world with plenty of style and personality. Two recent articles stand out for their authors’ willingness to seek out some of the deeper layers of story beneath the surface news.
As Doug LeBlanc bids farewell, I say hello. Doug and I have been friends, fellow pilgrims and professional peers for many years. Now we’re more like two bloggers passing in the night.
