As a reporter, I’m always amazed by how much I learn when I actually pick up the phone and talk to somebody. As opposed to, say, relying on my vast personal knowledge (and Googling ability) and preparing a news report without ever making contact with a real, live human. Speaking of which … The New York Times had a story this week (at least I’m 95 percent sure it’s not supposed to be a column or news analysis) on a creationist organization... Read more
Ask any religion-news professional to list the top reporters on the beat in the late 20th Century and Richard Ostling will be right near the top. That’s why, very early in the history of this blog, your GetReligionistas started suggesting that — when facing tough issues about how to cover religion in an accurate and balanced manner — journalists should ask this not-so-simple question: What Would Richard Ostling Do? For newcomers to this terrain, Ostling was the religion-beat pro at... Read more
Reports on the exorcism trial currently underway in Paris suburb of Essonne cast an interesting light on the internal workings of the French wire service AFP (Agence France Presse). And these gleanings do not do it credit. A 7 October 2013 story about four people accused of having tortured a woman while they were performing an exorcism, shows gaps between the English and French versions. The four accused exorcists claim to be members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and were... Read more
Because of my background in church-state studies, for the past third of a century or so I have been interested in the many legal puzzles linked to the work of military chaplains. The bottom line: There is no easy way to provide doctrinally specific care to all of the sailors on a submarine (or a very small, remote base near the front lines). It is possible for one clergy person to show tolerance and sympathy for believers in a number... Read more
It’s five minutes past the hour, and you’re late for services. The cat insisted on one last pass around your leg, and you had to extricate the lint brush from the back of the junk drawer, and in the process you found that key to the shed you’d been looking for forever. But you couldn’t be sure it was the key until you tried it. Anyway … you’re late. You park farther from the building than you’d like, hustle in,... Read more
If you enjoy quality journalism, feel free to skip an Associated Press story out today on Mormons challenging their church’s stance on homosexuality. But if you’re in the mood for a puff piece, wow … AP has produced a doozy! From start to finish, this quasi-news report engages in unfettered cheerleading. Ready? OK!: SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Wendy and Tom Montgomery went door-to-door in their California neighborhood in 2008 campaigning for the passage of an anti-gay marriage proposition. They were among thousands of faithful Mormons... Read more
Lat’s state the obvious: It’s getting harder and harder for news consumers to figure out when they are reading straight news coverage and when they are reading columns, editorials and analysis pieces. Thus, it is common for veteran GetReligion readers to send me links to articles and, after clicking the URLs, I discover that many of the “news stories” that so angered them are not actually news stories at all. Instead, they are columns or a clearly labeled “analysis” piece... Read more
The Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, Louisiana, has had a reputation as one of the toughest places for criminals to do time in this country. If you go in, and the crime is serious enough, you’re not likely to come out. For years, decades even, the prison was a hotbed of violence and strife. While still not a “country club” institution, the temperature and mood at the Louisiana State Penitentiary has changed, and the introduction of classes from a Southern... Read more
First things first: I have to admit that I almost choked on my diet cherry cola when I read the double-decker headline on this Los Angeles Times news feature about the next round of cultural warfare at the U.S. Supreme Court. Ready? You have been warned: In new term, Supreme Court may steer to right on key social issues The Supreme Court’s conservative bloc has a clear chance to shift the law to the right on abortion, contraception, religion and... Read more
It was about eight years ago exactly when I surprised Terry Mattingly by shouting his name as I encountered him on the street. His visage was familiar to me because I’d grown up reading him in “the Rocky” — the Rocky Mountain News of Denver, Colorado. My parents had always encouraged my siblings and me to read the newspapers and I devoured both the Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News every day. Front page to last page. I was... Read more
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