Religion stories

Sorry this is getting posted so late. I wasn't sure when it was due, and had to work with sources this morning.

I decided to monitor coverage of religion in the Chicago Tribune because I figured they would have a larger coverage due to their large ethnic population. It is also a large paper, and has specific staff dedicated to religion coverage. I was suprised to find many stories focused on Judiaism, although there were many about Protestant and Catholic Christian topics. There was one story each about Muslims, Africans and the Bahai faith. The stories about non-JudeoChristian religions focused on lifestyle or faith issues, while the Judeo-Christian stories focused on news events. Because I looked at the paper online, I didn't know what section within the newspaper they were featured in (The Tribune does have a "Religion" section). However, 11 stories were based on news events, while the other ten were written more as features. In general, the features were considerably longer than the news stories. The first news story I read was only three paragraphs long, while many of the features were over 1,000 words. Each story seemed to be pretty balanced to me. I think where the discrepancy or bias lies is within the types of stories that are covered. Due to Chicago's large ethnic population, I would expect the local paper to cover a variety of religions that showcase the lives of real Chicagoans. All of the stories had Chicago Tribune in their by-lines, although story ideas may have been wire service generated due to the national/ international story coverage (Colorado, New York, Washington, D.C., Netherlands). A majority of the stories were about political or legal events that involved religion or religious groups. There were also a large number of stories about Christian religious leaders, mainly those facing legal problems. I think that the Tribune is committed to providing religious news. Their main religion reporter offers a religion blog (The Seeker) to converse with readers about religion topics. She posts just a couple of sentences and provides a link to various religion stories. However, in order to better serve their audience, the Tribune should cover stories involving a larger variety of faiths. It may help Chicagoans better understand other people they come in contact with in their daily lives. I believe they are curious about others, and would read stories about other religions. If I missed anything, please comment and ask. Thanks!

research: the meaning of life

I read an article from the Chicago Tribune's online edition from yesterday called "Research tries to measure how we find life's meaning", by Ronald Kotulak. This story was a mix of religion and science, written by one of the paper's science reporters. It was definitely different from other religion stories that I have read. It focuses on research done trying to figure out when Americans become more religious. The lead starts with a common story that could have been told about many after the Sept. 11 terrorists attacks-- someone searching to buy a flag. The story, however, was about the lead researcher on the project, and was a good example of something many others could relate to. While the article was a bit long (maybe the print version was a bit shorter), it did a good job of explaining how research is done on religious behaviors and reactions. It also returns to the search for a flag at the close of the article, tying the conclusion back to the lead.

Love your Heart article

I read an article from the J&C's Accent on Health Magazine (Jan/Feb issue) called Make a promise: Love your heart.
http://www.jconline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070116/LIFE0301/70116014/1149/CUSTOMPUB

I thought it was a good idea for a story to discuss women's risk for heart disease, in light of new research findings that women are just as likely to suffer from it than men. However, the article never mentions the new research. I like the link to a current event (everyone was supposed to wear red on Feb. 2 to promote awareness), and a source for additional information. However, I would like to have seen specific things I could do to decrease my risks of heart disease. It states that it's easy to prevent, well how do we do that? The SJ box lists factors that increase risk, but it doesn't say specifically how to decrease the risk (although I can infer quitting smoking, losing weight, reduce stress). The lead drew me in by talking about you having the power over your heart (although it was a bit dramatic). Also, for this to be a magazine article, it is very brief and leaves some gaps.

Agriculture: Governor Daniels and biofuels

I read an article from Hoosier Ag Today called "Daniels: Agriculture Central to Indiana’s Future", published March 1, 2007. Hoosier Ag Today is a radio program broadcast state-wide on several stations that carry farm radio shows. Gary Truitt, the producer of the program, also publishes the prominent stories online. I think this article would be called a "quick hit", but I think the writer could have done just a little extra research to provide the reader with other resources to learn more about the biofuel program. Having read other stories involving Governor Daniels, I believe he frequently speaks about the specific people that will benefit from his programs. However, I think the quotes here are pretty dry and economic. I think better quotes could have been chosen to highlight who Daniels thinks will benefit from the expansion of biofuels in Indiana. It could also link to Purdue's BioEnergy page to provide general and agricultural readers information about what biofuels are and some of the issues associated with its proliferation. This would allow mainstream media to also pick up the story, if they could make it relevant (since it really is) to general readers. It could also have explained the difference between corn-based ethanol and this new, second-generation biofuel. Also, the lead is very specific, and therefore dry: if it would have been more colorful, again it would appeal to people who aren't sure what biofuels are and why they're important to them.