The American public would like to see and hear more news about
religion. A recent public opinion poll reported in
”
TV Guide
”
says 56 percent of adult Americans believe that prime-time
television does not pay sufficient attention to religion.
The American public would like to see and hear more news about religion. A recent public opinion poll reported in “TV Guide” says 56 percent of adult Americans believe that prime-time television does not pay sufficient attention to religion. But the mass media, generally, reports on this important aspect of American life only when it involves a scandal: embezzlement, child-abuse, or sexual orientation, for example.
An exception to this situation is the Public Broadcasting System which presents an excellent national TV newsmagazine called “Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly” on 190 stations across the country.
Funded by grants from the Lily Endowment and the Pew Charitable Trusts and produced by Thirteen/WET New York , it appears locally on Sunday mornings at 10:30 on KCRB (channel 22) as well as Sunday afternoon at (2:30 on KQED (Channel 9).
Executive producer and host of the show is Bob Abernethy. He has had a long career as a Moscow correspondent for NBC television news, and covered political campaigns and the space program. An additional qualification for this job is that in 1984 Abernethy took a year’s leave of absence from his news career to study theology at Yale Divinity School.
The show presents in-depth coverage of stories each week which focus on issues and conflicts dealing with public policy, religion, and world events. A recent Sunday contained typical fare:
*A story on “religious collectibles” discussed items which are “devotional, a reminder or expression of beliefs, or souvenirs of a place or specific religious experience.” Examples included a woman in Albuquerque, NM, who filled her home with Joan of Arc objects and a comb with a “Christ died for us” printed on it.
*Another story dealt with the effect on humanitarian agencies in Iraq following terrorist attracts.
*In connection with the Jewish season of Hanukkah a reporter visited the Jewish Museum in New York City to call attention to an unusual collection of Hanukkah lamps (or Menorah).
*Then the biblical scholar Allen Dwight Callahan gave a review of a new film, “The Gospel of St. John,” which he found to be very disappointing.
*A regular feature each week is a calendar of upcoming holidays of major religions. This week’s included dates important to Jainism, Judaism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, and Sikhism.
Special programs are planned for the next two weeks.
December 28 will be devoted to a roundtable discussion of the top stories in the world of religion and ethics during the past year with managing editor Kim Lawton and “U.S. News and World Report” contributing religion editor Jeff Sheler joining host Bob Abernethy.
The following week the program looks at major religion new stories expected in the year ahead with guest panelists John Allen, Vatican correspondent for “National Catholic Reporter,” E.J. Dionne, columnist for “The Washington Post,” and Cathy Grossman, religion reporter for “USA Today.”
To learn more about Religion & Ethics Newsweekly see the Web site containing transcripts, archival information on past program topics, suggested resource material, and related internet links at http://www.thirteen.org/religionandethics/
