The headline from the Boston Globe grabbed my attention:
So I clicked the link and read the lede:
HENNIKER, N.H. — It was one of the last questions at a town hall meeting, and it happened to come from a recent retiree from Ohio: How had Governor John Kasich’s time as that state’s chief executive prepared him to be president?
“Early in your administration, my colleagues in the public and private sector, kind of viewed you as rather intense and kind of dictatorial,” Jeff Weber said inside of New England College’s Simon Center. “They said you’ve mellowed some.”
“How has the job changed me?” asked the governor who is beginning to break through in a Republican primary field packed with 17 candidates, the most noted of whom is businessman and reality TV showman Donald Trump. “Number one, my faith has gotten deeper. Why does that matter? Because it’s given me perspective.”
There were religious overtones to many of Kasich’s remarks on everything from climate change to the national debt Wednesday morning as he wrapped up a five-event, two-day swing through a state that usually doesn’t embrace overtly religious candidates. Yet the Ohio Republican is appealing to voters in New Hampshire with its first-in-the-nation primary.
So far, so good.
The Globe spotted a key religion angle on the campaign trail and went for it.
I kept reading, excited about getting to the meat of the story. I just knew — or at least I hoped — the Globe would provide important context on the role of religion in Kasich's personal life and presidential aspirations. Alas, such details never came.
Yes, the newspaper quoted Kasich talking about "counting our blessings" and being "stewards of God's creation" and seeing "a moral purpose behind balancing the budget."
But here's a crazy question for the Globe: What is Kasich's religious affiliation?
Somehow, the Boston paper produced an entire story focused on "talk of faith" without exploring faith at all.
That's like profiling an athlete and failing to mention the sport. Or reviewing a restaurant and neglecting to describe the menu. Or citing a professor and leaving out the academic discipline.
In case you're curious, Religion News Service came up with five faith facts about Kasich (as it has with all the announced candidates) back in July:
RNS notes that Kasich describes growing up as "a card-carrying Catholic."
He now belongs to St. Augustine's Anglican Church in Westerville, Ohio — part of the Anglican Church in North America, a group that broke away from the Episcopal Church — reports the story by RNS senior national correspondent Cathy Lynn Grossman.
But reading Grossman's piece, it's obvious that Kasich's religious journey falls somewhat under the heading of "It's complicated."
Of course, complicated makes for great journalism.
Except in this case — where, disappointingly, the Globe failed to delve at all into Kasich's colorful religious history.