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Most Americans say media coverage of religion is “too sensationalized”; and less than one-fifth of reporters consider themselves “very knowledgeable” about religion.
— This is the top summary of a new survey by the USC Annenberg School of Communication and the University of Akron’s Roy C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics.

The survey is based on a random sample of 2,000 Americans and a parallel survey of 800 reporters. Among the results of the survey:

• One-quarter of the public is “very interested” in religion coverage, while one-fifth of reporters said the issue comes up frequently in their work.
  
  
• Two-thirds of the public said there is too much sensationalism in religion coverage – a view held by less than one-third of reporters.
  
  
• Half of the reporters surveyed said their biggest challenge in covering religion is a lack of knowledge about the subject.

In the “Sightings” column, the University of Chicago’s Martin Marty Center commented positively on the survey, but also noted ironically that the survey’s own headline was “sensational”:

“Why sensationalized? Because religion on the media usually contrasts with what the typical member of the public sees. The citizen’s own eyes usually see prosaic, routine, passive, peaceful expressions of people next door or down the block. Yet the media remind them that abuse scandals, tribal wars, embezzlements, wild (to them) religious ideas, and the sensational in general – usually occurring at a distance – make news.”

In other words, the old truism in the news business: When dog bites man, it’s not news. But when man bites dog, that’s news.

Read the rest of this article on SageLaw.

© Bruce T. Murray
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