Journalism and Religion

Religion is often a controversial subject for journalists, arguably with good reason: it can cloud the way in which a journalist portrays the truth.  There is the natural tendency to see reality through the lens of one’s religion and even to use writing as an opportunity to share information about the religion.  As a result, other journalists have feared this possibility and have striven to completely avoid religion in their pieces.  This dichotomy is exemplified in contrasting Pluto’s perspective with that of Kolob.  Kolob championed a theocracy as the ideal society with a journalistic duty to disseminate truth and life.  Such a society would emphasize taking an eternal perspective on life and would maintain that self-worth comes from obedience and selflessness.  Forgiveness and repentance are made possible through Jesus Christ. By contrast, Pluto advocates a democracy in which time is of the essence, wealth and power determine self-worth, and forgiveness and repentance are not possible.  Although these two scholars lived hundreds of years before our time, their ideas act as a microcosm for the same conflict in journalism.

However, there is a way in which journalism and religion can intersect.  Even though they are in different realms, both seek to provide truth.  In fact, values journalists report on derive from religion.  Moreover, many people about whom journalists write are inspired by faith, and these stories often show how people use faith to deal with challenges and tragedy.  Indeed, organized religion has become a powerful institution in America felt by industries, farms, schools, medical research, and government.  As a result, religious news is increasing in popularity in the United States, especially in the South.

It is fascinating to observe the number and variety of daily news in various outlets discussing religion.  Eric Marrapodi from CNN broaches the issue of religion in education and sports in his article in which he describes the quandary LDS football players face at the predominately Catholic university Notre Dame: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/11/27/mormon-linebacker-helps-lead-catholic-notre-dame-to-national-championship-game/.  New York Times’s Nurit Novis Deutsch takes a more personal approach and describes intimate conversations with her children about religion: http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/25/an-agnostic-talks-to-her-children-about-god/?ref=religionandbelief

As a member of the LDS faith, Bruce L. Christensen’s counsel offers me and current journalists a way to reconcile and enhance one’s written work within our Church’s standards.  It is important for us to not only understand how the media functions, but also to commit to communicate messages of the Gospel through media.  Whenever we are in doubt, we can always prayerfully follow the counsel of the brethren about how to use the media.