First published November 9, 1997
In the months to come, look for lots of stories about
journalists reexamining their roles and their values.
Although this kind of self-policing has been on the fringe of
the field for a while -- CBS newsman Mike Wallace is a leading
advocate of journalists taking their colleagues to task for shoddy
work -- the controversy surrounding the paparazzi that chased
the late Princess Diana has turned a spotlight on the issue and
concerned journalists are speaking up.
Somewhat ironically, most of the issue of ``Nieman Reports'' for
the Fall of 1997 that introduces the ``Statement of Concern''
is devoted to ``The Faith of Journalists.''
At a time when many journalists are rending their garments and
beating their chests in self-conscious soul-searching, one of
the country's most profound and respected journals outlines in
depth how religion affects today's professionals.
The articles in this issue include one by Roy Peter Clark, a senior
scholar at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies, a prestigious
study program and educational institution for working journalists.
Clark details how his American-Catholic faith affects
his professional life.
Alan J. Borsuk, a reporter for the Milwaukee Journal, reveals
how his and his wife's devotion to observing the Jewish Sabbath
as they commit themselves to Orthodox Judaism affects his work.
Borsuk never works on Friday nights or Saturdays.
Associated Press business reporter Michael White writes about
his experience of finding ways of practicing journalism and being
faithful to his religious convictions as a Mormon, a path he argues
may sometimes provide clashes but never fundamental conflicts.
And Magnum photographer Eli Reed confesses he has prayed his way
through violent episodes while photographing in Bosnia and that
he chooses stories because of his religious beliefs.
One might say the Spirit is
moving in American journalism.
For years, a minority of journalists has been clamoring for more
in-depth coverage of religion by their colleagues.
The statistics are alarming.
Of the 1500 or so daily newspapers in the United States, fewer
than 10 percent of them have full-time reporters covering religion.
Evangelist Billy Graham has consistently chided the
media for sending hordes of reporters to cover sporting events
while relegating church services to at most a lone reporter, despite
churches in the United States consistently attracting more people
annually than any major sport.
The introspective concern that journalists are now beginning to
express may also awaken a concern about things of the spirit that
so-often energize the news.
I don't know if the editors of ``Nieman Reports'' planned it as
such, but there may be a ``still small voice'' speaking in its
pages as journalists examine the values and purposes of their
work and simultaneously express what has long been suppressed
in their profession -- their personal religious faith.
Allan R. Andrews can be contacted at allan.andrews@reporters.net