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Clearly, the Anglican vs. Episcopal warfare is just getting started at the local level here in the United States, which means that more and more religion reporters are going to have to wade into this journalistic swamp in the weeks, months and years ahead.
I don’t know why so many reporters are covering abortion-related topics these days, but we have the opportunity to look at yet another article in the genre. In this case Robin Toner of The New York Times wrote about the “new tactic” of pro-lifers seeming to care about women’s well-being. The headline is “Abortion Foes See Validation for New Tactic.”
In the May 28 issue of The New Yorker, Rebecca Mead writes a brief piece in the spirit of Tom Wolfe’s “Radical Chic,” in which the theme of a social gathering feels at odds with the upscale surroundings. Here the gathering’s theme is spiritual enlightenment, featuring the actress and recently published author Ellen Burstyn (Lessons in Becoming Myself) and Marianne Williamson (A Return to Love).
This one comes to you from deep inside tmatt’s GetReligion guilt file, so please hang in there with me for a moment.
Earlier this month, I wrote that the Mitt Romney presidential campaign had “hired” Mark DeMoss, an evangelical publicist who focuses on faith-based organizations (and author of The Little Red Book of Wisdom). My use of the word “hired” was inaccurate, since DeMoss was not receiving any money from the Romney campaign.
Last week ABC News’ Jake Tapper and Matt Stuart interviewed Mitt Romney, candidate for the Republican nomination for president. Their subsequent article dealt with his views on immigration and abortion — but also a bit about his views on whether it’s his job to respond to theological opposition to Mormonism.
If you do a search in Google Images for Frank “Bible Belt Blogger” Lockwood you will find nothing that is useful. Zippo.
Whenever I have the pleasure of writing a story based on another organization’s work (I actually cringe when I have to do this), it’s always interesting trying to come up with a news hook that is relevant but not what everyone else is going to do. In these situations you usually have a press release with the preordained lede, but there is nothing forcing journalists to use it. Sometimes the press release lede is a no-brainer, but sometimes there is room for creativity.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, showed one of his more decisive moments on Tuesday by announcing that he would not invite two bishops — Gene Robinson of the Diocese of New Hampshire and Martyn Minns of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America — to the Lambeth Conference next year in England. The significance of his decision is captured well in reports by Laurie Goodstein of The New York Times, Julia Duin of The Washington Times and Rachel Zoll of The Associated Press.
