Journalism and Faith

Before group 10 presented on journalism and faith, I would have never put those two words together in the same sentence. Journalism is the collection and distribution of news and its effects. Faith is confidence or trust in a person/thing or a religious belief. Group 10 specifically addressed religion's role in journalism. I did not think it played much of a role until I began to think about objectivity. I believe almost everything we discuss about journalism can point back to objectivity. Generally, people are raised with certain beliefs or develop beliefs as they become adults. Often, we are taught by our parents what they believe and are encouraged to follow their beliefs, at least until we form our own. Having this background definitely affects our perceptions on how we view the world. The absence of beliefs or religion would also affect one's perceptions. It is unavoidable. That being said, in my opinion, transparency is key. If a journalist's readers know what his or her background and beliefs are, they can understand why the journalist reported on the story in the way he or she did. Some journalists may argue that this is a personal issue and none of anyone's business. However, I believe readers have a right to know if a journalist's reported stories might be skewed for whatever reason. Granted, news organizations need to be careful not to discriminate against religion when hiring journalists.