On Wednesday The Chicago Tribune turned its pages over to advocacy journalism representing the unfortunate attitude that the West knows best, and the “poorer parts of the world” must conform to the rules established by modern experts to keep the world from falling into a state of calamity. This article by the Tribune‘s London correspondent Laurie Goering proclaims that everyone should have fewer children (though it fails to provide the precise number) in order to prevent global warming and keep the planet from over-populating.
And on the third day ...
Three days into an ongoing, national story, the Washington Post noticed that something has been happening between Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and several key U.S. Catholic bishops.
RIP: The religion beat? (update)
As far as I know, veteran Godbeat and popular culture scribe Mark Pinsky isn’t dead (although I haven’t heard from him in a week or two, so I will check). His website is nice and up-to-date looking.
Your Basic conversion story
I don’t know what’s more surprising. That Joe Eszterhas became a Christian or that a mainstream media paper did such a good job of telling the story of his conversion.
Evolution as article of faith
In The New York Times, reporter Amy Harmon wrote about a Florida ruling that requires state schools to teach evolutionary biology. Her lede began with the story of a high school teacher who attempted to instill evolution’s principles into his students:
Asking the right follow-up
One of the things for which Meet the Press moderator Tim Russert was best known was his informed follow-up questions and his tenaciousness in pursuing an issue when a guest waffled or misinterpreted. Russert, a devout Catholic, was noted for his questioning of then-Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore on the issue of when life began.
From our 'no comment' department
I realize that authorities in the American Catholic hierarchy are currently debating the ecclesiastical status of Sen. Joseph Biden and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
You gotta have faith
So I’m out here in beautiful Denver covering the Democratic Convention (I also came for my sister-in-law’s awesome naturalization ceremony last week!) and it’s been a blast. The spectacle is amazing, the crowds are enthusiastic, the alcohol is flowing (even in the morning!), the protesters are fun to watch. It’s everything I could have hoped for in a convention.
Saw one ghost, missed another
The general public may be tuned out, for the most part, but for political primates here inside the DC Beltway, the national political conventions remain The Shows, a kind of crazy cross between the Olympics and reality TV.
