After a major disaster or an interesting person goes missing, reporters often do follow-up stories to capture the intensity and emotion during the often-terrifying experience.
Preschool and the culture wars
A model Park 51 discussion
Earlier this week I wrote something for the Washington Post/Newsweek “On Faith” section about media missteps in coverage of the mosque proposed to be built near ground zero. One of the points I made was that the media make the opposing sides in this debate seem farther apart than they are:
Obama and Allah, past and present
I faced a crucial decision this week while writing the lede for my column for the Scripps Howard New Service, a decision that I knew — not matter what I decided — I was going to hear about it early and often.
Unorthodox wordings, to say the least
Trust me, I know that covering religion news is complicated, especially when you are dealing with ancient religious groups in which it seems that everything is encrusted with centuries worth of doctrine, tradition, rubrics and symbolism. However, facts and facts and words matter.
Rational discussions about Cordoba's history
More than a few readers have asked us to take another look at a topic we broached last week — the history of Cordoba, Spain. Historic Cordoba has been in the news because the proposed Islamic center near ground zero is part of what’s called the Cordoba Initiative. The center was going to be called Cordoba and its backers said it was in honor of a golden age of interfaith relations. Others were aghast at the name because Muslims conquered Cordoba’s Christians. The mosque’s backers are now calling it Park 51.
Islamophobia holiday
Talk about bad timing. Eid al-Fitr, the three-day celebration that concludes the month of Ramadan, ends on an unfortunate date this year: Sept. 11. And that is causing problems for some planned celebrations like the customary Eid festival that was canceled in Fresno.
5Q+1: Joshunda Sanders on sacred and secular
Today I remembered why I like Joshunda Sanders’ Of Secred and Secular blog so much. She often teases that local angle out of a national issue, or finds something fresh locally.
AP's tour de force on the Roman Missal
Anyone who understands religion news at the level of pews and altars understands that few stories matter more to dedicated readers, and appeal less to mainstream editors, than stories about changes in the books, laws and traditions that shape how people worship.
