Life Inside The Cocoon--And Keeping It That Way

Terrence Mattingly at Get Religion noticed an item at MediaBistro's FishbowlDC (he didn't get the permalink) about the Washington Post naming a new reporter to cover religion:

Metro is happy to announce that Jacqui Salmon, who has been covering philanthropy, will change assignments to become a second regional religion reporter together with Michelle Boorstein. We are making this change to restore a second Metro religion reporter, lost when Caryle Murphy took early retirement. The move reflects the importance of religion to our readers and to contemporary social, cultural and political life....

In nearly two decades at The Post, Jacqui has established herself as an enterprising reporter who thinks broadly and breaks news. She has reported and edited on the Business staff, and covered suburban family life on Metro before taking over the philanthropy beat.

Mattingly noted earlier in his post:

Long, long ago, back in 1994, The Washington Post raised many eyebrows by posting a newsroom notice for a religion reporter. The “ideal candidate,” it said, is “not necessarily religious nor an expert in religion.” Well, I still think this is bizarre. Try to imagine a notice in an elite newsroom seeking an opera critic that says the “ideal candidate does not necessarily like opera or know much about opera.” How about notices for reporters who cover professional sports, science, film and politics?

Mattingly--in a long post you really should read--imagines the stampede that would have followed had the Post reached out to groups like the Religion Newswriters Association. In other words people who know what the heck they're writing about.

Oh well, maybe in another ten years.

Comments

[Douglas V. Gibbs]

I suppose a religious reporter would be biased, better to comment report on something you know nothing about - at least then you can claim ignorance when you get it wrong.

God Bless, Merry Christmas.

[Christopher Fotos]

Same to you, Douglas, and to everyone.

[Christopher Fotos]

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