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Last One to Haiti is a Rotten Egg!

by John D. Adams CNN Wins! Anderson Cooper and his posse narrowly edged out CBS' Kelly Cobjella to reach Haiti first, according to the Los Angeles Times' tally sheet entitled, “Media Hustle to Get to Haiti.” Cooper had cinched his … Continue reading

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Ruined Churches and Christian Crosshairs

Last week a student skipped class and flew to Haiti. He promised to file soon; there'd be lots of real-world religion stories to make up for missed lectures. I'm still waiting, but that's not a complaint. If what I've seen … Continue reading

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Tigers and Foxes

by Don Lattin Brit Hume was right about Buddhism – or maybe half right. Earlier this month, the right-wing Fox commentator (redundant) was talking (like practically everyone else on TV) about the sexual sins of Tiger Woods. “He is said … Continue reading

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Religion is as the Religious Do

by J. Terry Todd Media chatter about religion heated up in the past week in response to Brit Hume's come-to-Jesus altar call for Tiger Woods.  The story first got framed as a smack-down between Jesus and the Buddha, and subsequently … Continue reading

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Analog Coverage in a Digital Age

It's sad when veterans leave a beat but the recent exodus of legacy media religion reporters can't be unexpected. The old model is dying, and newsrooms—shuffling dwindling bodies between one desk and the next—can't afford dedicated, in-depth coverage. They can … Continue reading

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Imprisoned by Short-sighted Politics

by Brie Loskota In his recent–and final–state of the State address, California's lame-duck governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, remarked that California overspends on prisoners and underspends on higher education. He called for a constitutional amendment to ensure that the State would have … Continue reading

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Lamenting an Ill-informed Lament

When a leading newspaper turns over valuable real estate to a depressing display of know-nothingism (of the uninformed rather than the nativist variety), there's only one response: Why? Why did the Los Angeles Times run a simple-minded opinion piece on … Continue reading

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Top Religion-themed Videos of 2009

by Lynn Schofield Clark As 2009 comes to an end and various organizations turn their attention to the year in review, we at TransMissions would like to draw your attention to what are arguably the top religious viral videos of … Continue reading

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Spying on the Nation

by Dalia Hashad The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been caught engaging in prohibited spying on Americans based on religious affiliation or activity…again.  We've had ample warning and plentiful evidence that our government has long been engaged in this … Continue reading

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Canary in a Coal Mine?

by Nick Street Peter Steinfels' bittersweet reflection on his two decades as “Beliefs” columnist at the New York Times is better at begging questions than evoking nostalgia. Does the nation's paper of record have plans to replace the cerebral, institutionally … Continue reading

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