If you wanted to know who John McCandlish Phillips was, as a New York Times journalist, all you really needed to do was listen to the words of other journalists. Here are two of my favorite quotes along those lines, drawn from a classic profile in The New Yorker (which is now behind a firewall, unfortunately). “He was the Ted Williams of the young reporters. He was a natural,” the legendary reporter Gay Talese once said, describing a staff that... Read more
Back in March, this title on a New York Times news analysis grabbed my attention: The Holocaust Just Got More Shocking I found the article itself fascinating, but the headline struck me as more suited for a New York tabloid than the Old Gray Lady. I mean, I’m not sure how the systematic killing of millions of Jews could be any more shocking. While no expert on the atrocities that occurred, I was blessed in 2004 to write an in-depth... Read more
Last week, the people who produce the Associated Press Stylebook issued a few revisions. One of them was for the term “Islamist.” It used to read: Supporter of government in accord with the laws of Islam. Those who view the Quran as a political model encompass a wide range of Muslims, from mainstream politicians to militants known as jihadi. That entry was only added last year. In response, the Council on American-Islamic Relations actually called for the AP to drop... Read more
One of the most awkward and painful truths in American higher education is that it is perfectly legal for private colleges and universities — on the left and right — to discriminate against people who refuse to follow, or at least respect, the teachings at the core of these voluntary associations. However, and this is the tricky part for many journalists, these institutions must use a truth-in-advertising approach when dealing with potential students, faculty and the public. In other words,... Read more
This whole GetReligion operation, as regular readers know, exists to look at the good and the bad in the mainstream media’s attempts to cover religion news, events and trends. Thus, we spend very little time focusing on essays published in advocacy journalism outlets. Thus, we spend very little time focusing on coverage in religious publications that grind out news and information about individual religious flocks. Thus, we spend very little time focusing on first-person journalism, since that often — but... Read more
I would love to critique the coverage of the trial of Kermit Gosnell, the abortion doctor whose mass murder trial is going on right now in Philadelphia. The only problem is that there is a curious lack of media coverage. The Daily Mail had a story this weekend headlined “‘Fetuses and blood all over the place’: Medic’s graphic account of ‘be-heading live babies’ at abortion ‘House of Horrors’ in Philadelphia” but none of the big three networks have even mentioned... Read more
Of the many sad stories this weekend, one was the news that Rick Warren’s son Matthew killed himself. Suicides are difficult to cover and there’s some (though probably not enough) debate about when and how to cover them. In this case, the news was announced in emails to the congregation and staff of Saddleback Church, the megachurch founded by Warren. It’s reasonable to cover this death, I think. And as for the coverage, I think it was fairly decent —... Read more
A reader sent in a story from Louisiana focusing on a Catholic-education topic that will — trust me — be in the news more and more in the years ahead. But first, here’s some background. One of the trends we are seeing in the era of the Obama White House, and Justice Department, is an attempt to draw a legal line between freedom of worship and freedom of religion, period. The best example, so far, is found in the Health... Read more
I make no secret of my allegiance to God, my family and the Texas Rangers. So yes, when Rangers superstar slugger Josh Hamilton was “called way out west over the winter by God and $125 million,” as Fort Worth Star-Telegram sports columnist Randy Galloway described it, I felt jilted. And yes, when Hamilton — now an Anaheim Angel — struck out twice in his return to Rangers Ballpark on Friday, I rejoiced at his expense (and may have scared the... Read more
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God or mammon in Iran
The New York Times article “Power Struggle Is Gripping Iran Ahead of June Election” offers a detailed examination of the Iranian political scene as the country prepares to elect a successor to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Well written and intelligently crafted, the article, as the lede notes, discusses the: power struggle ahead of the June election between Mr. Ahmadinejad’s faction and a coalition of traditionalists, including many Revolutionary Guards commanders and hard-line clerics. However a religion ghost lurks beneath the surface of... Read more