At The Scoop, Diane Winston sums up and comments on Ross Douthat’s recent talk at USC:

Last week, New York Times columnist Ross Douthat told a SoCal audience that religion reporters need to take theology seriously: theology has consequences.

Differing from his professional peers who see the world through a political lens, Douthat said many people are motivated by beliefs about metaphysical questions. Paying attention to these beliefs would yield richer, more complex stories than the “he said, she said” political narratives that are news outlets’ stock in trade.

I agree with Douthat, but it’s not just religion reporters who need to take theology seriously. All reporters do. In recent years, religion has spilled off the church page, flooding arts and entertainment, science and medicine, education and welfare, sports and, yes, politics with a tidal wave of news. For the few full-time religion reporters still in place, it’s too much to cover.

Continue reading here.

Tags: Diane Winston, journalism, media, Ross Douthat, The New York Times, theology

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