Approximately 100 religious leaders, journalists and religion scholars earlier this month gathered in Chicago to discuss a new study about the ways in which religion, spirituality and values are covered in print and broadcast media. The results of the study were announced at that meeting. Religion, spirituality and values were not the primary focus in the print or TV stories analyzed.
Stories involving religion often are about international conflicts, such as Kosovo.
The three major Western religious traditions Christianity, Judaism and Islam nearly monopolize news about religion, spirituality or values, with other religions barely mentioned. Despite the fact Americans in the 1990s displayed an unprecedented renewal of interest in spirituality apart from organized religion, stories about spirituality per se are virtually absent in media coverage. While not overtly biased, the stories analyzed in the study generally failed to provide needed theological or historical context. The study was prompted by reports of surging interest in religion and spirituality over the last decade, according to Roy Larson, director of the Garrett-Medill Center. Coverage of Faith and Spirituality is on the Rise.