The Canadian Islamic Congress is also beginning to emerge as a visible player on the Canadian scene. The Canadian Council of Churches has a small staff, but occasionally comes out with a major pronouncement uniting all the churches. Where to find stories Religious leaders and religious readers alike seem to assume that inspirational stories, or local church stories, are what should make the news. But readership surveys in the U.S. suggest that most readers actually find national and international religion stories more interesting, particularly when it concerns social and ethical values, global issues or decision-making at the national or international level. My Canadian editors seem to know that instinctively, because my local stories tend to go in the back pages, while the national and international stories are more likely to hit the front page.
Few stories are to be found today in the annual meetings of the denominations or other faith groups.
With the aid of a tailor-made religion query on my computer, I also keep a close eye on the wire services for ideas and trends developing elsewhere and stories about subjects like euthanasia or Third World debt, which often have neglected religious or ethical angles to them. Religion is a wonderful beat, because there are virtually no limits on what you can cover. There is spirituality in the workplace, religion in sports, faith in politics, faith in science, faith in ethics, faith in movies, and theatres, and rock n'roll. Some of the most colorful stories can come from reflecting the religious community to your readers. As journalists, we can take them into mosques, Hindu temples, meetings of Christian homosexuals, or charismatic prayer meetings.