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Balance. Accuracy. Insight. IN
THIS ISSUE:
He acknowledges that Religion Newswriters, originally a loosely organized group of church reporters, has come a long way. Back in the early 1990s (and for 40 years before that), he said: "Everybody was part time, and the officers had to give of their time to run the organization. Now we have paid staff who can run things, and we have all sorts of workshops and ReligionLink. "If we don't contribute, we will lose all these advantages we have built up." Smith was a religion reporter at the Reading Eagle in Pennsylvania from 1987-2003. He was already a veteran reporter, having covered sports, run the copy desk, reported news stories and served as an editor for 24 years. But he was intrigued by the opportunity to move to the beat that focused on people's spiritual beliefs. "It provided an opportunity to deal with all sorts of religions," he said. In 1990, he decided he should join the professional organization for reporters who also covered this subject. At his first conference he met an enthusiastic group of journalists passionate about the inside stories people told about their spiritual paths. He met determined and curious writers who wanted to know more about the church, the mosque and the ashram and their connections to daily public affairs. These days, Smith is well known among RNA members as the guy in charge of picking each year's Top 10 religion stories. Every year, we post them on the RNA.org Web site. Smith loves the job. Writing about spiritual matters is still his priority, even in retirement. Smith writes a weekly religion column in the Eagle. His material these days comes from his travels. His training has taught him to be attentive to the stories of spiritual transformation he finds around him. "I found one column on Mount St. Helens and another on the Main River in Germany," he said. Follow Smith's lead. Find out more about supporting the work of religion reporters
With training funds on the chopping block, journalists need your help to keep learning. Religion Newswriters is developing plans for an exciting conference Sept. 18–21, 2008, in Washington, D.C. Among the topics to be explored: the upcoming presidential election and an in-depth look at Islam. But not all journalists who want this information will get it. Budget cuts mean training funds are being slashed; travel requests denied. "Every January my editor would talk optimistically about the paper funding my membership dues and trip, and every spring, when the registration deadline approached, I would find out there just wasn't the money in the ever-shrinking training budget. I couldn't comfortably manage the expenses on my own," said Eileen Flynn of the Austin American-Statesman. The real casualty is the public. When journalists don't have access to the right sources or background on a topic, they can't tell the full story. But you can make sure journalists don't miss the chance for continued learning. Your donations will support a fund that assists struggling journalists to attend this important annual event. It costs $1,500 to send one journalist to this premier event; $5,000 will pay for four scholarships. Religion reporters consider the Religion Newswriters Conference the centerpiece of the year’s training: "If you cover religion in the secular, mainstream media you have to come to the RNA conference," says Gary Stern of The Journal News in White Plains, N.Y. "There's no place like it. You get the best story ideas and you meet contacts from all the leading religion circles." Last year, we awarded 26 scholarships. We expect the demand to keep growing. Each year we must rebuild the fund to make sure we can offer these opportunities. It’s up to you. Help everyone afford this amazing opportunity. To donate, call Michelle Stacho at 614-891-9001, ext. 4# or send a check to: Religion Newswriters, P.O. Box 2037, Westerville, Ohio 43086-2037. Mark the memo line "scholarships."
Religion Newswriters wants to improve the public's understanding of religion. Our resources and materials reach editors, writers, news directors, news producers, CEOs, clergy, homemakers and policy analysts. Your support enables us to continue as the country's premier educator about religion and public issues in the mainstream media. Please join the many others who help support Religion Newswriters with your tax-deductible gift. It's easy to do online. Download the PDF there and mail it with your donation to: RNA, P.O. Box 2037, Westerville, OH 43086-2037. You can also call Business Manager Michelle Stacho with your donation information: 614-891-9001, ext. 4#. Religion is the centerpiece of a number of stories in today's news. Check out what everyone else is reporting, from politics to health, from war to peace. Read this month’s picks. To reach Religion Newswriters' Development Director, e-mail Ruth Sternberg Portnoy at Ruth@RNA.org. |
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