Category Archives: The Scoop

by Nick Street The conflict narrative that often shapes reporting on religion and public life is readily apparent in current coverage of a pair of live-wire stories: the recent ruling against the constitutionality of California's Proposition 8 and the announcement … Continue reading →

As if we really needed a reminder, a recent Pew study confirms that over the past decade the surge in new media has caused the old economic foundations of journalism to crumble, even as the call for consumable content has … Continue reading →

By J. Terry Todd Religion isn't the first subject that springs to mind when you think about the San Diego Comic-Con International, the globe's largest annual pop culture klatsch that just wrapped up its 40th season. What started in 1970 … Continue reading →

Earlier this month, CNN fired Octavia Nasr, its senior editor on Middle Eastern affairs, for tweeting about the death of Lebanese cleric Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, Nasr's tweet said she was “sad” to hear of the cleric's passing and that … Continue reading →

Even as Californians await a decision on the constitutionality of Proposition 8, the initiative that limits marriage to unions between men and women, a new survey reports that only 1 in 5 residents believe the ballot measure was “good for … Continue reading →

by Courtney Bender Christopher Hitchens is in treatment for esophageal cancer, and the prognosis is grim. If Hitchens were anyone other than Hitchens, this sad news would already be a footnote in last week's news cycle. But, since he is … Continue reading →

By Richard Flory The recent retirement, then non-retirement, of famed Crystal Cathedral and “possibility thinking” pastor Robert Schuller, was reported over the past weekend, first in the Orange County Register, and picked up by the AP. The story was then … Continue reading →

by Dalia Hashad The world's greatest sporting event will soon come to a close.  Long after the incessant honking of vuvuzelas cease, this World Cup will be remembered for its unique character.  Among the bright spots is that, for the … Continue reading →

by Brie Loskota The only thing Americans seem to like more than the culture war is trying to make money off the culture war. As soon as the “Jesus fish” appeared on the back of a minivan, another enterprising group … Continue reading →

On Friday, the New York Times added another piece to the puzzling history of the Vatican's response to the crisis of clergy sexual abuse. Reporters Laurie Goodstein and David Halbfinger plumbed church documents and interviewed church leaders to ascertain how … Continue reading →