I've discussed the wonderful GetReligion site before, but this week, they seem to have done a particularly spectacular job covering the business of journalism covering religion.
Unlike some other religious sites, GetReligion's purpose is the cover the way journalists cover religion, not the religions themselves. It makes for some thought-provoking reading when Mollie Hemingway or Terry Mattingly (just to name a couple of the fine writers) dissect the way journalists cover, say, Mitt Romney's speech or the ongoing breakup of the Episcopal Church.
It was the latter story that most interested me today (there's plenty of Mitt Romney everywhere and anywhere). Anyone who even a passing interest in religion in America probably knows about the disintegration of the Episcopal Church here. In a nutshell, many congregations are seceding from the American Episcopal Church (a very liberal organization) and joining more traditionally Anglican organizations, such as the church in Uganda. In response, the Episcopal Church is suing these congregations for money and property, barring them from using the church buildings in which they have always worshipped. I don't wish to delve into the rightness or wrongness of this, but the interesting thing about the coverage is how reporters seem to only find quotes from the minority who want to stay connected to the American church.
Nearly nine out of 10 members of the church voted to leave, so I find it interesting that the reporter uses an anecdote from the minority. The story is not about what happens to the losing side in votes to split from national church bodies (a most worthy angle) but, rather, about how the rifts have flooded courts with civil lawsuits over church property. The only other congregant quoted in the piece is likewise part of the minority who voted to remain affiliated with the Episcopal Church:Speaking to her congregation on Oct. 14, just before congregants voted on the decision to disaffiliate with the Episcopal Church, Janet Stone, 63, a member of Christ Church since 1975, pleaded for unity.
“I beg you to stop this fight and seek reconciliation,” Ms. Stone said. “It would be a powerful witness.”
Moments later, 87 percent of the congregation voted to support the split.
Maybe next time the reporter can find one person from the 87-percent faction to discuss how they feel about being sued by the Georgia Diocese. Otherwise the entire human interest aspect of the story seems more than a bit one-sided.
It would be refreshing if journalists tried a bit harder to cover a story objectively. In this case, the reporter surely could have found someone to offer up a quote in support of the measure, couldn't he?
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