The Journalist and Faith

In class we've often discussed bias and objectivity in journalism. I feel like I've reached a conclusion: it is impossible for a journalist to be impartial. In our latest class when we discussed religion, I had prepared myself for another lecture on objectivity and balance. This time, however, what I found most interesting was the discussion on how religion is covered.
Religion has become cliche in the news. Islams are terrorists and Mormons are polygamous. Unfortunately, the most popular knowledge of religion comes from news media. These cliches become stereotypes.

Jon Meacham, pulitzer prize winner and editor of Newsweek magazine, said that the days of the religion desk in the newsroom are over.
“The journalists who will survive and thrive in this era are those who are able to think holistically and not just see through a narrow lens,” he said.
Journalists shouldn't view religion as a beat, but as a part of a bigger story.
Meacham wrote a cover story for Newsweek in 2004 about Mel Gibson's controversial film, The Passion of the Christ. The magazine received hundreds of responses from readers, who both commended and condemned the story. One such reader wrote in:

"It strikes me as inappropriate that Jon Meacham takes a dry, detached, journalistic tone in making such pronouncements as "Scripture is not always a faithful record of historical events" and the claim that the Bible's authors "shaped their narratives several decades after Jesus' death to attract converts and make their young religion--understood by many Christians to be a faction of Judaism--attractive to as broad an audience as possible," without a disclaimer that this is a view held only by some. Why work such a dismissive note of authority into his far from universally held understanding of the Bible's origins and accuracy? I'll match my credentials as a textual critic with his any day, and I accept the Bible's accuracy and reject the claim that it pushes a human agenda."
Doyle Srader, Ph.D., Dept. of Communication
Stephen F. Austin State University
Nacogdoches, Texas

First of all, it is interesting that Dr. Srader criticizes Meacham for being too "journalistic" when he himself is a communications professor. If this is the case, should journalists be more emotional when writing about religion? Of course not. It just goes to show that no matter how a certain religious topic is covered, someone will always be displeased.
Religion is a sensitive subject because it is something that people hold very dear to their hearts. It is too easy for a reporter to wound someone by printing an incorrect fact about a religion, making assumptions, or including bias. Even though Dr. Srader said it is inappropriate to be too "jounalistic" when writing on religion, it might be a reporter's only option.