Wasilla Bible Church<\/a> members in the aisles, trying to convince somebody, anybody, to dish about his flock\u2019s most famous church lady. The craziness had started as soon as Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin became the GOP\u2019s nominee for vice president.<\/p>\nSuddenly, there were satellite dishes out front and worshippers were trapped inside, trying to escape to the safety of their cars in the parking lot.<\/p>\n
Kroon tried to control the chaos, telling journalists they were free to participate in worship services, but not to film or interrupt them. The pastor also asked them not to \u201cfish for interviews\u201d as members arrived or departed. He thought these rules were enough. He was wrong.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can look back and say, \u2018Whoa. We really should have done this or that differently,\u2019 \u201d said Kroon. \u201cI was naive enough to think this wasn\u2019t going to affect us \u2014 but it did. We ended up scrambling to get from day to day. We had that deer in the headlights look for quite a while.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wasilla Bible Church leaders encountered professionals from the New York Times, CNN, Time, Fox, the major television networks and just about everyone else \u2014 from America and around the world. Flocks of alleged journalists arrived from every corner of the World Wide Web, as well.<\/p>\n
After hurricane Palin, Kroon met with management consultant James Stamoolis and prepared some tips for clergy who struggle with media attention \u2014 wanted or unwanted. Some of those tips are relevant again in Wasilla, since Palin\u2019s faith plays a big role in her new \u201cGoing Rogue\u201d memoir. Here\u2019s a sample, drawn from a talk with Kroon.<\/p>\n
* Never accept<\/strong> an interview without confirming a reporter\u2019s identity and his or her current employer. Just because someone has written for the Associated Press doesn\u2019t mean that he isn\u2019t currently a blogger for PalinIsADummy.org or something like that.<\/p>\n* Help reporters<\/strong> understand that private communications between clergy and the faithful are, in fact, privileged and guarded by the same kinds of laws that shield reporters and their sources.<\/p>\n* Keep contact<\/strong> information for community leaders \u2014 such as telephone numbers and email addresses for church elders \u2014 in a firewall-protected section of your congregation\u2019s website. Post contact information for staffers who are prepared to handle media requests in a timely manner. <\/p>\n* Ask if reporters<\/strong> or producers have experience covering religion news. Some journalists sincerely want factual information that will help them cover a story fairly and accurately, while others \u201care in a hurry and they simply want what they want. You may think you\u2019re helping them understand who you are and what you believe, but they just want a good quote and then they\u2019re moving on,\u201d said Kroon. <\/p>\n* It may help<\/strong> to post information about your denomination or tradition, including frequently asked questions about worship, media relations, how the congregation is governed and the meaning of unique terms (such as \u201cborn again\u201d or \u201ccharismatic\u201d) that newcomers will encounter.<\/p>\n* Understand<\/strong> that a two-hour interview may be reduced to 20 seconds and that the journalist decides what goes in that soundbite. So avoid lectures and focus on the key points that you must make to explain your congregation\u2019s point of view. It\u2019s also important to remember that silence is the reporter\u2019s problem, not your problem.<\/p>\n* In the Internet<\/strong> age, there is no reason that a pastor cannot \u2014 as a condition for talking to a reporter \u2014 insist on the right to record and transcribe an interview. That way, the professionals on both sides of the transaction know that they are on the record and the results, if needed to clarify a point, can be posted online or emailed to a publisher.<\/p>\nKroon stressed that he was truly impressed by many of the journalists, especially with their commitment to accuracy and fairness. They wanted to get the story right. But others arrived in Wasilla with their minds clamped shut. They came to get the story that they already knew that they wanted to write.<\/p>\n
\u201cPastors need to understand that there are really good reporters and there are some really bad ones, too,\u201d he said. \u201cYou also have to understand that even the really good ones are going to push you to your boundary lines. That\u2019s what they do.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Sunday service had just ended and the Rev. Larry Kroon couldn\u2019t believe what he was seeing. A journalist was chasing Wasilla Bible Church members in the aisles, trying to convince somebody, anybody, to dish about his flock\u2019s most famous church lady. The craziness had started as soon as Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin became the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":610,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[235,1534,540,541,1544,720,768],"class_list":["post-1744","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-godbeat","tag-clergy","tag-evangelicals","tag-media-bias","tag-media-elites","tag-politics","tag-religion-news","tag-sarah-palin"],"yoast_head":"\n
Palin's pastor meets the press<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Sunday service had just ended and the Rev. Larry Kroon couldn't believe what he was seeing. A journalist was chasing Wasilla Bible Church members in\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/2009\/11\/palins-pastor-meets-the-press\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Palin's pastor meets the press\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Sunday service had just ended and the Rev. Larry Kroon couldn't believe what he was seeing. A journalist was chasing Wasilla Bible Church members in\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/2009\/11\/palins-pastor-meets-the-press\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Terry Mattingly\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2009-11-23T09:08:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"tmatt\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"tmatt\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/2009\/11\/palins-pastor-meets-the-press\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/2009\/11\/palins-pastor-meets-the-press\/\",\"name\":\"Palin's pastor meets the press\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2009-11-23T09:08:50+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2009-11-23T09:08:50+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/#\/schema\/person\/76ce2260a572ff41a28fb285de9350f1\"},\"description\":\"The Sunday service had just ended and the Rev. Larry Kroon couldn't believe what he was seeing. A journalist was chasing Wasilla Bible Church members in\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/2009\/11\/palins-pastor-meets-the-press\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/2009\/11\/palins-pastor-meets-the-press\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/2009\/11\/palins-pastor-meets-the-press\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Palin’s pastor meets the press\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/\",\"name\":\"Terry Mattingly\",\"description\":\"On Religion\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/#\/schema\/person\/76ce2260a572ff41a28fb285de9350f1\",\"name\":\"tmatt\",\"description\":\"Terry Mattingly directs the Washington Journalism Center at the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. He writes a weekly column for the Universal Syndicate.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/author\/tmatt\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Palin's pastor meets the press","description":"The Sunday service had just ended and the Rev. Larry Kroon couldn't believe what he was seeing. A journalist was chasing Wasilla Bible Church members in","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/2009\/11\/palins-pastor-meets-the-press\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Palin's pastor meets the press","og_description":"The Sunday service had just ended and the Rev. Larry Kroon couldn't believe what he was seeing. A journalist was chasing Wasilla Bible Church members in","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/2009\/11\/palins-pastor-meets-the-press\/","og_site_name":"Terry Mattingly","article_published_time":"2009-11-23T09:08:50+00:00","author":"tmatt","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"tmatt","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/2009\/11\/palins-pastor-meets-the-press\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/2009\/11\/palins-pastor-meets-the-press\/","name":"Palin's pastor meets the press","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/#website"},"datePublished":"2009-11-23T09:08:50+00:00","dateModified":"2009-11-23T09:08:50+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/#\/schema\/person\/76ce2260a572ff41a28fb285de9350f1"},"description":"The Sunday service had just ended and the Rev. Larry Kroon couldn't believe what he was seeing. A journalist was chasing Wasilla Bible Church members in","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/2009\/11\/palins-pastor-meets-the-press\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/2009\/11\/palins-pastor-meets-the-press\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/2009\/11\/palins-pastor-meets-the-press\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Palin’s pastor meets the press"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/","name":"Terry Mattingly","description":"On Religion","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/#\/schema\/person\/76ce2260a572ff41a28fb285de9350f1","name":"tmatt","description":"Terry Mattingly directs the Washington Journalism Center at the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. He writes a weekly column for the Universal Syndicate.","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/author\/tmatt\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1744","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/610"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1744"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1744\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1744"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1744"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1744"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}