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Christianity Today, April, 2007 |

Religion Sections Deleted

But newspaper observers say religion reporting will endure.

Sarah Pulliam | posted 3/07/2007 09:10AM

In the past year, financial challenges have prompted cutbacks in religion coverage in newspapers.

The Dallas Morning News eliminated its religion section in early January. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ...

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Michael M

Posted: March 19, 2007 10:30 PM

The Web is the way to go. SFGAte.com, the online version of the San Francisco Chronicle, includes "Finding My Religion." Read how the writer describes what it's all about. "Each week I'll pick different people from a cross-section of religious and cultural backgrounds to discuss their views on God, prayer, the afterlife and other topics. The conversations will be published in a question-and-answer format. "I realize this is a subject not frequently addressed in the mainstream media. Perhaps the old saying about religion not being fit for polite conversation still holds true in the popular consciousness, even as sex and politics have long ago shaken off their taboo status. "Yet, increasingly, it seems clear that spiritual matters form the subtext for much of what's happening in America today, from your house to the White House. "With that in mind, I will make these conversations as personal and revealing as possible." It's excellent.

Rev. Nelson French

Posted: March 19, 2007 6:13 AM

Ten years ago, here in Lexington, KY, our local paper carried a large multi-page religion section weekly, which featured not only national and global stories of importance to the religiously local, ( of which there are a great many), but more importantly to many they carried local religious news, including a feature story each week on a local religious congregation. They also collected revenue from advertising in this section. The section is still there, and the revenue gathering ads too, but the local coverage is gone, and the section reduced to a mere two page foldover remnant of it's former glory. Face it, profitability is more important to today's media than providing service to the local community. And they wonder why their local print circulation continues to diminish!

Jason, VA

Posted: March 09, 2007 9:28 AM

I'm not sure that the cutting of religion news coverage is a universally true observation. The Washington Post, if anything, has greatly expanded its religion coverage in both its print and online papers in the last 2 years. Beat coverage of religion at the Post had been confined to a subset of its Metro section, but not so much anymore. The Post has devoted a considerable amount of coverage to the current difficulties in ECUSA as just one example. Granted, some of this is the result of the geographic proximity of the prominent Virginia congregations who have declared 'no mas'. But the Post made an effort to present every side of the issue, including allowing op-ed space to both sides of the fence. (And I say all this as someone who is no friend of the Post). So while I have no doubt that religion coverage is being cut in various places, it's not a phenomenon that's occurring everywhere.

katrina

Posted: March 09, 2007 8:28 AM


The world loves its own so no one should be surprised by the lack of religion in today's media. I don't need a paper to read about my Lord and Savior. He left His Word for us already.

Donna, OH

Posted: March 09, 2007 1:24 AM

Wow this is truly amazing it always seems as in this situation of cutting religion from newspapers that religion is usually the first to get the axe. In my opinion the horoscopes and comic sections are the kinds of things that should be cut, what do they really add to our daily lives as well as all the gossip. We need things that lift us up daily not bring us down as most of the newspaper stories do because they are usually very depressing. I do however believe that there is a day coming that religion will one way or another take over the newspapers because God is moving in the earth in a mighty way, And I can't wait to see it take place.

Tom Wadsworth, Illinois

Posted: March 09, 2007 12:17 AM

I'm a seminary-trained former minister who has also spent 17 years in the news media. From my perspective, newspapers would be glad to cover religious issues (1) when those issues are legitimate *news* and (2) when reporters believe they can report on that news without getting screamed at. Christians might tend to view the religion-beat cutback as another example of "taking God out of America." But that response is too simplistic. And it fails to see how Christians themselves have become part of this coverage problem. The fact is, today's top news probably has more connections with religion than it has in 50 years (e.g., Islam, Sunnis/Shiites, the faith-factor in presidential campaigns, abortion, the power of the "Religious Right," etc.). But when radical religionists (that includes Christians) start reacting harshly to religious coverage, they only decrease the chance that reporters will dare to touch the subject again.

George T.

Posted: March 07, 2007 8:36 PM

To most newspapers religion does not sell.Why? Because we are anxious to see what is going around.And this has to be done fast: to feel "secure" with updated news and trends. However,in such a materialistic way of life we cannot see the benefits of QUIETING OUR MINDS to step into the real thing:that we are spiritual beings in a material form and not the other way round. If only the media found a way to "exploit"our underlying yearn for that REAL life...

Chuck Spong, Florida

Posted: March 07, 2007 7:45 PM

Thanks for the update on newspaper budget cuts in religion. I have served in higher education for over thirty years am am aware of what gets cut first. Certainly religion is not a priority item in the press, though I am grateful for some papers that have at least keep religion before the public on a regular basis.. I hope some one writes a readable and insightful history of the powerful influence of the Christian Faith on the 20th century so that 21st century folk will realize its influence and significance. Maybe this will help fill in the religious vacumn in the press. Who in the Roman world of the first century ever grasped the significance of Christ, the Holy Spirit and the Church, not many outside the Church.

rushisright

Posted: March 07, 2007 6:49 PM

In my humble opinion ninety percent of the newspapers in America today are junk. Focused only on car ads; mindless and boring sports of overpaid and spoiled players who shouldn't even be called athletes permiate the newsprint pages like their some kind of gods; supposed entertainment sections of nothing but filth and who's married to whom for the 5th time. What type of expamples are these people setting for our children in this society? It's time for you, the silent majority to stand up, stop buyiing their junk papers, demand better coverage of religious events and churches and take back this nation before the bleeding heart, tree hugging liberals destroy us all with the anit-faith and anti-government attitudes. The simple solution, don't buy their papers, don't go to their movies, and write them hundreds of letters daily voicing your opinions. If the silent majority would do this, we could see a vast improvement in not only the print media, but the visual media as well!

Scott

Posted: March 07, 2007 12:01 PM


I wish they would just cut back the entertainment section, at least minimize the gossip. It angers me to see the private affairs of entertainers published as if it's my business, and to see reporters invading people's personal space as if they have the right and duty. Politicians are treated the same way, mercilessly. That is unfortunate. I say keep religion, omit the gossip.

deaconsbench

Posted: March 07, 2007 11:24 AM


The Charleston (SC) Post & Courier revamped it's Faith & Values Sunday edition. It is now geared to avoid offending any particular religion. In other words, it's about as worldly as the comics section. Totally irrelevant - void of the presence of the Holy Spirit - just as the brick and mortar church has become since the start of the Great Tribulation.

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