Author Archives:

Reporting Religion . . . and Race

Posted on March 2, 2009 by

A new poll from the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies is “the first ever nationally representative study of a randomly selected sample of Muslim Americans.” Random is the key word because the findings—unlike those from surveys that target people with … Continue reading →

Posted in The Scoop | Comments Off on Reporting Religion . . . and Race

Hard Questions

Posted on February 23, 2009 by

In a newly released report,  Amnesty International says “Israel and Hamas used foreign-supplied weapons to attack civilians” during the recent conflict in Gaza. Israel and Hamas quickly rejected the report's conclusions as unfactual, biased or both. Amnesty specifically criticized the … Continue reading →

Posted in The Scoop | Comments Off on Hard Questions

What Do Women Want?

Posted on February 20, 2009 by

Princess Hijab has been around since 2006, but having just found her I wanted to share. The princess is actually a 21-year old who “hijabizes” advertising that objectifies women. Politicizing Paris' trendy avenues and most fashionable thoroughfares, this anonymous guerilla … Continue reading →

Posted in The Scoop | Comments Off on What Do Women Want?

Who Voted and Does It Matter? A New Agenda in Washington

Posted on February 18, 2009 by

Religion has been an important point of discussion in the 2008 presidential election. In the Republican primaries, the public debated the qualifications of Mitt Romney, a Mormon, and Mike Huckabee, a Southern Baptist minister. Later, the media focused on Reverend … Continue reading →

Posted in The Headlines | Comments Off on Who Voted and Does It Matter? A New Agenda in Washington

Sweet Somethings

Posted on February 17, 2009 by

Valentine's Day on a money diet? Light on oysters, jewelry, and champagne, heavy on cupcakes, chocolates and Prosecco. Since I'll be wearing those valentine pounds for the next few months, I'm taking extra time to chew over stories of lust, … Continue reading →

Posted in The Scoop | Comments Off on Sweet Somethings

We're No Angels

Posted on February 10, 2009 by

Unlike wannabes from Wall Street to Hollywood, aspiring reporters don't lust for fame or fortune. Their goals are lofty: Speak truth to power; comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. Most journalists are true believers and they want to make … Continue reading →

Posted in The Scoop | Comments Off on We're No Angels

Doing it in Denmark

Posted on February 2, 2009 by

Before delving into the good stuff—sex, sex and more sex—let's take a step back and ponder the big picture. Thanks to Phil Zuckerman, we can do that. Zuckerman, a professor at Pitzer College, writes about religion and society in the … Continue reading →

Posted in The Scoop | Comments Off on Doing it in Denmark

Purpose Driven Whacking

Posted on January 27, 2009 by

Like the busy critters in a whack-a-mole game, Rick Warren bobs up faster than his critics can bop him down again. Just since this summer, Warren popped up with his church-based candidates' forum, pre-election support for Proposition 8 capped by … Continue reading →

Posted in The Scoop | Comments Off on Purpose Driven Whacking

Obama Meets Adama

Posted on January 18, 2009 by

Most of the time I look to TV for diversion. When I'm weary of war, bank failures and Bernie Madoff, there's always something to give me hope. Hiro saves the cheerleader, Derek saves Meredith, and House saves almost everyone at … Continue reading →

Posted in The Scoop | Comments Off on Obama Meets Adama

Biased, Balanced or Benighted?

Posted on January 14, 2009 by

What do people want from the news? The question struck me when a friend, recently returned from Israel, complained about the biased coverage of events in Gaza. I'd asked her what it was like to be caught up in the … Continue reading →

Posted in The Scoop | Comments Off on Biased, Balanced or Benighted?