Journalists need to study, religiously
The author of this Sunday’s second reading explains to “the children of God” that “the world does not know us” because it does not really know God. Perhaps the news media is partially to blame . . .
The author of this Sunday’s second reading explains to “the children of God” that “the world does not know us” because it does not really know God. Perhaps the news media is partially to blame. A majority of both the public and reporters agree the media “does a poor job of explaining religion in society,” and two-thirds of the public says religion coverage is too sensationalized, a new survey reveals.
Fewer than 20 percent of journalists surveyed said they are “very knowledgeable” about religion, and most reporters with that level of knowledge say they are mainly familiar with their own religious traditions, not the wider array of faiths and practices found in society.
The results came from a first-of-its-kind survey of both reporters and the audiences they serve by the Knight Program in Media and Religion at the University of Southern California and the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron.
“News organizations are rightly worried about creating smart business plans and developing cutting-edge technology. But they’re overlooking their most basic resource: knowledgeable reporters,” said Diane Winston, Knight Chair in Media and Religion at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. “News consumers want more reporting on authentic religious experience and a lot less on polarizing religious politics. But reporters can’t do that if all they know about religion is what they hear in church or—ironically—what they read in the news.”
Fewer than 20 percent of journalists surveyed said they are “very knowledgeable” about religion, and most reporters with that level of knowledge say they are mainly familiar with their own religious traditions, not the wider array of faiths and practices found in society.
The results came from a first-of-its-kind survey of both reporters and the audiences they serve by the Knight Program in Media and Religion at the University of Southern California and the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron.
“News organizations are rightly worried about creating smart business plans and developing cutting-edge technology. But they’re overlooking their most basic resource: knowledgeable reporters,” said Diane Winston, Knight Chair in Media and Religion at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. “News consumers want more reporting on authentic religious experience and a lot less on polarizing religious politics. But reporters can’t do that if all they know about religion is what they hear in church or—ironically—what they read in the news.”
Source: A news release from USC Annenberg News