News

Newsweek's Jon Meacham on religion reporting in the U.S.

October 29, 2009

By Megan Gibson '10

Newsweek editor and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham spoke last night at the Journalism School about his experiences covering religion and expressed his views on the future of journalism.

"More people than ever are reading journalism, consuming the news," he said.

Joining Meacham onstage, and leading the discussion, was Dr. Randall Balmer, author, documentarian and professor of American religious history at Barnard College.

Meacham, whose biography of Andrew Jackson, "American Lion," won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize, said he thinks religion is an important issue because, like politics, it touches so many aspects of people's lives. "When people ask me why I am interested in religion, I ask them 'Why are you not?'" he said.

Discussing the challenges that face a religion reporter, Meacham talked about the dilemma of distancing oneself from one's work. He said that to report on and explain religion to a reader, a journalist must become immersed in the subject. "It’s a much more emotional issue, not only for the audience, but for the journalist," he commented.

Balmer, whose writing and role as the host of "Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory," a PBS documentary, earned him an Emmy nomination, asked Meacham how Newsweek has prepared itself for the changes in the news industry. Meacham said the news magazine continues to strive to be a place people look to first for answers and coverage.

A member of the audience proposed that religion reporting be incorporated with other areas of interest. Meacham agreed, saying he thinks that in light of shrinking newsrooms, it would be wise for religion reporting to be incorporated with other news beats, such as politics or the economy.

"The journalists who are going to survive this era are the people who are able to think holistically and not through a narrow lens," he said.

Megan Gibson is a full-time M.S. student in the newspaper concentration. She hopes to work as a foreign correspondent, covering global politics.