"Islamists" (whatever that means) win in Egypt

As regular GetReligion readers will know, I have — for quite some time now — curious about what the word “Islamist” means when it is used in mainstream news coverage of the Islam, either in lands that are majority Muslim or those that are not. In other words, does “Islamist” mean one thing in Cairo and another thing in Detroit?


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"Just a little outside ... " An Observer exclusive

An exclusive is a wonderful thing. Being first out of the block with an exciting and timely news story is a professional triumph for a reporter — and it also makes you feel great! I imaging that is how the two reporters at the Observer — the Sunday edition of the Guardian — felt on Saturday night as they saw their story on the Archbishop of Canterbury’s latest attacks on the government of Prime Minister David Cameron make it to page 1 — and above the fold too!


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Fluke's 'conservative Christian family,' 'interfaith egalitarian' wedding

I didn’t realize we were still talking about Sandra Fluke, but if she’s still in cultural conversation, okay, I want to know more. Remember the whole contraception, Georgetown, Rush Limbaugh slut thing? Yeah, I remember it too, I guess.


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Perils of a Polish Pop Princess

The deadly consequences of blasphemous speech have been the focus of some great writing on militant Islam and its intolerance of free thought. While I wish to take nothing away from these reports, I would urge GetReligion readers not to forget that censorship under the guise of hate speech laws is  alive and well at home.


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Pod people: GetReligion news alert

RELIGIONNEWSVILLE, Cyberspace (GR) — In a podcast now available online, GetReligion contributor Bobby “Bible Belt” Ross admits dropping the ball in his recent critique of media coverage of the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting.


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Godbeat scribe's diabetes, and what he did about it

One of the first rules journalists learn is that you don’t generally write about yourself. The gist goes something like this: the story is about other people and their story, not the reporter who personally experiences the story. Every once in a while, you’ll see a reporter like Michael Luo pop up and write something drawing from his own experience, but it’s not the usual style for many reporters.


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