The Routledge Handbook of Religion and Journalism

Kerstin Radde-Antweiler, Xenia Zeiler

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9780367568252
• eBook ISBN: 9781351396080
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Ethics & Religion

The Routledge Handbook of Religion and Journalism is an outstanding reference source to the key topics, challenges, past and present global issues and debates in this exciting subject. The first collection of its kind, this volume comprises over 25 chapters by a team of international contributors. This Handbook is divided into five parts, each taking global developments in the field into account:

• Theoretical Reflections
• Power and Authority
• Conflict, Radicalization and Populism
• Dialogue and Peacebuilding
• Trends

Within these sections, central issues, debates and developments are examined, including religious and secular press; ethics; globalization; gender; datafication; differentiation; journalistic religious literacy; race and religious extremism.

This volume is essential reading for students and researchers in journalism and religious studies. This Handbook will also be very useful for those in related fields, such as sociology, communication studies, media studies and area studies.

1

RELIGION AND JOURNALISM

A global view

Xenia Zeiler and Kerstin Radde-Antweiler

Religious topics and events are omnipresent today, not least due to media and media communication. However, this has been the case throughout the history of news media, as topics related to religion have always been part of journalistic discourses. Currently, they are extensively addressed in journalism worldwide and are integral parts of all existing journalistic genres, e.g., print newspapers, radio, television and Internet news. The prominence of religion in journalism, on both local and global levels, goes as far as themes related to religion dominating the news media reports at specific times: “By reporting, interpreting, commenting, judging, and relativizing, the media treat religion as one subject of many, and thus also contribute to the transformation of religion” (Gärtner, Gabriel and Reuter 2012, 16). For example, during the time of the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), newsmagazines and television news reported on the exceptional prayer Urbi et Orbi by the pope to a deserted St. Peter’s Square in Rome. The status of his health remains one of the important issues in journalistic media as well. We can observe that by reporting on specific religious figures, the journalistic press “unconsciously or not – reproduced the pope’s authority and the existing structure in the Roman Catholic Church” in the public discourse (Radde-Antweiler 2018b, 417). Furthermore, religious figures themselves are part of journalistic media, e.g., by producing press releases and using them for gaining influence in the public discourse (e.g., Zeiler 2018). Some religious traditions are taken up much more negatively than others; for example, Islam is very often connected to terrorism, violence and conflicts (e.g., Lundby et al. 2017, Seib 2017, Golan 2018). And in relation to rituals, we can observe that through extensive television broadcasts, people worldwide took part in religious rituals such as the funeral service of the death of Nelson Mandela or the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (as well as their leaving Britain). The public controversy in newspapers, on television and on the Internet after political events such as the attacks of 11 September 2001 or the cartoon controversy in Denmark, gives reason to think about the importance of religion in society.

While it is instantly visible that journalistic media do intensively report on religious traditions, it is important to note that these are presented and discussed in differing ways. While some religious traditions remain on the periphery of reporting in most parts of the news media, others figure not only prominently but are also discussed in specific ways. As Zeiler and Radde-Antweiler (2018, 262) stressed,

[i]n some cases, these presentations become the basis for the image of entire national cultures, such as when certain arguments in the news media describe a “Christian West” which is allegedly being conquered by dangerous foreign religions such as Islam.

In such instances, journalism actively contributes to the construction of mainstream perceptions of religious traditions.

The research field of religion and media is quite a broad one, and the field of religion and journalism is a subfield with a focus on religion in and as related to journalistic media – and thus it must be understood differently from religion as media or media as religion. Whereas in the field of religion the media usage and production of all actors play an important role, in the journalistic field the focus is on selected persons such as journalists who report on religion or on religion as a topic in news coverage. However, in contrast to popular belief, journalists do not necessarily have an objective or a non-religious perspective. Journalist have their own biographical background and do not necessarily have to be non-religious persons (e.g., Gärtner, Gabriel and Reuter 2012, Underwood and Stamm 2001). Furthermore, in countries with laws having a strong base in religion the press can be heavily intertwined with religious elements (e.g., Mellor 2018, Steele 2011).

In journalistic reporting, religion is a social and political issue that journalists often discuss from a certain perspective, e.g., in relation to politics, economy, society. Also, because of their often-commercial nature – that is, news has to be sold – religious topics, just like any other topic, are given most attention when they are connected to scandals, conflict and negativity. In addition, they have to compete with other news. One consequence of this is that the majority of news, in which religious topics play a role, presents religion in a specific way, often negative (e.g., Schielicke 2014). The representations of religious traditions, events or persons are thus usually closely linked to the cultural and religious-ideological conflicts of the respective time – see, e.g., the current pejorative representations of Islam.

Additionally, journalism in times of deep mediatization (Hepp and “Communicative Figurations” research network 2017), in which everyday practices are deeply entangled with media, is changing dramatically. Digitalization and, connected to this, changing media environments especially influence journalistic organizations as well as individual journalists. A differentiation of media channels and platforms, which is a simultaneous consequence, fosters individualized media use. Today, journalistic content is produced, used and distributed via multiple platforms, and social media increasingly complement traditional mass media, thus expanding the communicative options between journalists and their audiences. These developments stimulate increased connectivity between journalists and their audiences and a seemingly omnipresence of recipients’ feedback and other audience contributions. At the same time, the changing media environments motivate the formation of new media organizations with newsroom(-like) structures and novel organizational models for journalistic production processes, in the shape of networks, collaborative projects, etc. Today, we are confronted with blurring boundaries in journalism.

The research on religion and journalism so far has produced some important monographs and studies, most of which necessarily focus on case studies by highlighting certain topics or a specific religious tradition. Many of these discuss Christianity in regional contexts (e.g., Hoover 1998, Horsfield, Hess and Medrano 2004, Winston 2012, Knott, Poole and Taira 2014). Volumes with a broader and more global approach include Hoover and Emerich (2010), which maps emergent global practices and discourses of mediated, spiritualized social change, and Cohen (2018), which focuses on news reporting on religion in different countries. Also, research on journalism and religion so far has often been published in volumes centering more broadly on the intersection of media and religion (e.g., Stout and Buddenbaum 1996, Hoover and Lundby 1997, Hoover and Schofield Clark 2002, Mitchell and Marriage 2003, Meyer and Moors 2005, Geybels, Mels and Walrave 2009, Stout 2010, Lynch and Mitchell 2012, Stolow 2012, Campbell 2013, Hjelm 2015). Research with a specific focus on journalism and religion include, e.g., Sumiala-Seppänen, Lundby and Salokangas (2006) and, more recently, Radde-Antweiler and Zeiler (2018) and Sumiala and Harju (2019) (for a general and more detailed research overview on religion and journalism, see Zeiler and Radde-Antweiler 2018, 262–264).

In contrast to the existing studies, this handbook takes a far more inclusive approach, highlighting two new objectives in the study of religion and journalism above all: First, it clearly highlights the international, global developments, and second, it will include the practitioners’ (journalists’) perspectives. Cohen (2018) already stressed the necessity of including different geographical contexts. Consequently, in this handbook, we present the major geographical and cultural settings in each section (North America, Europe, Latin and South America, Asia and Africa), so that each theme is discussed in case studies from the major world regions in order to present a truly global perspective. This handbook’s leading idea and approach is thus not only to provide a coherent and comprehensive overview of the currently existing research on religion and journalism but also to do so by applying an innovative structure which simultaneously emphasizes the current global developments in the field.

The structure and content of this handbook

Chapters in this book follow a similar structure. In their opening parts, the individual chapters include definitions of the concepts used (such as religion, journalism and concepts or theories on the respective chapter’s topic) and overviews of the existing research discourse on religion, journalism and the specific topic. Journalism and religion are not ahistorical entities as such, but they are defined in quite different ways in different disciplines; hence it is necessary to discuss the exact definitions and approaches. Then, the chapters present one or two concrete case studies from an exemplifying world region. The chapters conclude with reflections on what the specifically discussed case studies may contribute to the broader study of the field of religion and journalism and with estimations of how the field will develop in the future and what challenges can be seen. They also provide three to five recommended readings for further reference.

This handbook is organized into three sections. It begins with a section on inclusive themes relevant to all research on religion and journalism (such as theories and gender issues), proceeds to the main section which discusses major themes in global perspectives (such as power and authority and dialogue and peacebuilding) and concludes with a section highlighting meta processes and trends (such as globalization and digitalization), which are discussed from the perspective of one researcher and one journalist each. The volume opens with an introductory chapter contextualizing the theme of religion and journalism, introducing already-existing literature on the theme, and providing information on the handbook’s aim, structure and content.

The first part, Theoretical reflections, deals with overarching issues and reflections that are valid for all research on religion and journalism, as well as for journalistic reporting. It contains four chapters from academics and journalists. Jolyon Mitchell and Sara Afshari in Reporting refugees: the theory and practice of developing journalistic religious literacy consider the importance of journalists becoming more religiously literate while also reflecting on how this could improve coverage of the refugee crisis. The authors elaborate a case for developing literacy among journalists, consider the obstacles to religious literacy and ways of overcoming these and conclude with discussing the implications not only for digital journalists but also for digital audiences. Henrik Reintoft Christensen in Religion and journalism under secularization draws on Robert Bellah’s theory of religion in human evolution to compare the features of modern post-enlightenment religion to the development of journalism. The author argues that today both traditional religion and traditional mainstream media have witnessed increasing competition and pluralization and that various religious and journalistic elites are working on appropriate ways to remain relevant and reclaim authority. The chapter examines mindful journalism as such an attempt. In this part’s third chapter on The role and function of journalism for religious organizations, Tim Hutchings seeks to attract new attention to the work done by religious organizations and entrepreneurs to find space in the news for positive representation of their messages and themselves. Common tactics include issuing press releases; building personal networks with media professionals; studying the needs, expectations and working patterns of journalists and raising objections to perceived media bias and misconduct. The author proposes a typology of six visions of journalism: three classic ideas from journalism studies (the watchdog, the lapdog and the guard dog) and three new ones of particular relevance to religion news (the puppy dog, the working dog and the hunting dog). To explore these six visions in practice, the chapter discusses three case studies of religious communicators based in the UK: a Christian press officer, a Christian bishop active on social media and a Muslim media monitor. Mia Lövheim, in Gender, religion and the press in Scandinavia, discusses gender as a theme in the coverage of religion in Scandinavian, particularly Swedish, newspapers. Freedom of the press has strong support in Scandinavian societies along with widespread recognition of the significant role of the media in democratic deliberation. At the same time, tensions between freedom of speech, freedom of religion and gender equality are salient in political and media debates. The chapter employs theories of representation, framing and mediatization to highlight dominant patterns and complexities that emerge in newspaper articles and to discuss why newspapers combine and contrast gender and religion in dealing with social, religious and political changes that have taken place over recent decades.

The handbook’s main and largest section focuses on themes in global perspectives, discussing three key themes in religion and journalism: power and authority; conflict, radicalization and populism; and dialogue and peacebuilding. These themes and the chapters discussing them include topics that have already dominated the journalistic discourse on religion for a long time as well as topics that have more recently become increasingly relevant and covered. The three themes, arranged in three designated parts, are again presented and discussed in a standardized structure: They include global perspectiv...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• List of figures
• List of tables
• List of contributors
• Introduction
• 1 Religion and journalism: a global view
• Part 1 Theoretical reflections
• Part 2 Power and authority
• Part 3 Conflict, radicalization and populism
• Part 4 Dialogue and peacebuilding
• Part 5 Trends
• Index