Covering religion: Field insurgency in United States religion reporting

Abstract

The present study analyzes the role of religion reporting with the journalistic field. Personnel cuts within newsrooms and the development of “religion reporters” operating from religious institutions necessitate a re-exploration of the changing field. At stake is the coverage of religion, a topic particularly pertinent to residents in the United States, nearly 77 percent of which identify as religious to some degree. Simultaneously, the majority of the United States tends to think journalists cover religion poorly. Through the lens of field theory, this study analyzes 20 interviews with U.S.-based religion reporters who work for both mainstream and religious publications.

Field Theory in the Reporting of a US Religion Scandal

“…The idea that he may have been married is not threatening to central Christian tenets or beliefs -as many articles note -yet the press overwhelmingly responded in shaping the discussion in regards to the document's authenticity. That the press would develop a scandal out of this particular piece of information would seem to reflect some of the Protestant normative reporting that has been illustrated elsewhere (Perreault & Montalbano, 2022;Underwood, 2002).…”

“…As Underwood (2021) points out, US journalist tend to be motivated and report in ways that represent the countries dominant religious heritage-Christian Protestantism (Ward, 2015). Indeed, journalism tends to reflect a countries dominant religious values (Perreault, 2014;Perreault & Montalbano, 2022). This is echoed by Perreault & Montalbano (2022) who noted in their study of religion reporting, "Christianity was privileged religion in reporting and in particular Protestant sects received the most treatment.…”

“…Indeed, journalism tends to reflect a countries dominant religious values (Perreault, 2014;Perreault & Montalbano, 2022). This is echoed by Perreault & Montalbano (2022) who noted in their study of religion reporting, "Christianity was privileged religion in reporting and in particular Protestant sects received the most treatment.…”

Guarding the Firewall: How Political Journalists Distance Themselves From the Editorial Endorsement Process

“…The interviews probed the journalists’ experience with political journalism, their journalistic role conception, how they saw political journalism operating within the journalistic field, and, in particular, how journalists viewed the role of political endorsements. The semi-structured interviews followed the open-end interview format used in other studies in which journalists reflect on their coverage of political issues (e.g., Perreault, 2014; Perreault et al, 2019, 2020, 2021; Perreault & Montalbano, 2022). Interviews lasted between 30 min and an hour in length.…”

“Survival and Salvation:” Religious Situational Crisis Communication Strategies

“…Independent journalists often regard journalists on such teams as not overly dissimilar in reporting; but in cases where they are tasked with reporting on their own religious organization journalists see them as a robust public relations team (Perreault & Montalbano, 2022).…”