Get Religion is a national and global journalism site focusing on how the mainstream press covers religion news in politics, entertainment, business and sports.
A long, long, time ago — almost a decade, in fact — there was a Los Angeles Times editor who wrote a letter to his section editors in which he defended solid, old-fashioned American journalism. You know, the kind that strives to accurately quote informed voices on both sides of controversial issues, perhaps even in a way that promotes informed, balanced, constructive debate and civic life.
Anyone who has ever tried to do media criticism knows that it is so, so easy to complain about the work of others, especially when you do not know all of the factors that led to a particular story being reported, written and edited in a particular way.
Like many other Baby Boomer believers who grew up in the era of ugly-as-sin church architecture, I am a total sucker for stately, soaring old churches.
Well, there goes that Archbishop Charles Chaput guy again, “thundering” away at his flock on a matter of Catholic doctrine.
As a rule, your GetReligionistas rarely dig into the work of columnists and essay writers. However, in sports coverage the lines are blurred between news and commentary to a degree that goes way beyond what happens in coverage of politics, economics or other major news topics. In sports, it’s even harder — if not impossible — to avoid the news content in the work of the columnists.
First, a word from the editor. In recent weeks, I have been tossing out roughly half of the comments that have been written about many of my posts here at GetReligion. Frankly, I have missed some that I should have spiked — seeing as how I do not live at my computer keyboard 24/7.
To the frustration of many mainstream reporters, far too many blue-collar Americans simply refuse to do what the elites believe is best for them, when it comes time to step into ballot boxes (or discuss their views with pollsters, whichever comes first).
Tragically, this sad post speaks for itself. Please note that Rod “friend of this blog” Dreher has confirmed the key element of the story with the man who is at the center of it.
One of the hardest concepts to explain to people who have never worked in a newsroom is why some events in a city are “news stories” in the eyes of most journalists and other events, that seem similar, are not.
