RLST 37508 Religion in the News
- Religion in traditional media can be approached at a general or specific level
Mass media--Religious aspects
Mass media in religion
Mass media--Religious aspects--Christianity
Mass media--Religious aspects--Islam
Mass media--Religious aspects--Judaism
Religion and the press
Religion and the press--United States--History--21st century
Journalism, Religious
Journalism, Religious--United States--History--20th century
Journalism, Religious--United States--History--21st century
Religion in motion pictures
Motion pictures--Religious aspects
Religion on television
Television in religion
Television in religion--United States
Radio in religion--United States--History--20th century
- Religious issues and online media may be treated under these technology headings
Technology--Religious aspects
Technology--Religious aspects--Christianity
Internet--Religious aspects
Internet--Religious aspects--Islam
Cyberspace--Religious aspects
Blogs--Religious aspects--Christianity
- Religion and media are often discussed in the context of globalization
Globalization--Religious aspects
Globalization--Religious aspects--Christianity
Globalization--Religious aspects--Hinduism
Globalization--Religious aspects--Islam
- Religious approaches to social and political issues often discuss media coverage
Church and social problems
Church and social problems--Catholic Church
Church and social problems--United States
Religion and sociology--United States
Christianity and politics--United States
Christianity and politics--United States--History--20th century
Christianity and politics--United States--History--21st century
Conservatism--Religious aspects--Christianity
Liberalism--Religious aspects--Christianity
- The subheading "Press coverage" can be added to particular topics
Islam--Press coverage
Muslims--Press coverage--United States
Judaism--Press coverage--New York (State)--New York
Evolution--Press coverage--United States
Abortion--Press coverage--United States
Same-sex marriage--Press coverage--United States
- Some controversial issues by their very nature bring religion into public discourse
Child sexual abuse by clergy
Contraception--Religious aspects--Catholic Church
Homosexuality--Religious aspects--Christianity
Homosexuality--Religious aspects--Islam
Homosexuality--Religious aspects--Judaism
Pro-life movement--United States
Creationism--United States
Stem cells--Popular works
Islamophobia--United States
Antisemitism--United States
- Religion and politics or religion and culture often deal with media representations
Religion and politics
Religion and politics--United States
Religion and politics--United States--History--21st century
Religion and culture--United States
United States--Religion
United States--Religion--1960-
Mass media--Objectivity
Mass media--Objectivity--United States
Journalism--Objectivity
Journalism--Objectivity--United States
Journalism--Political aspects
Journalism--Political aspects--United States
Journalism--Social aspects--United States
Journalism--Technological innovations
Journalism--United States
Journalism--United States--History--20th century
Journalism--United States--History--21st century
Sensationalism in journalism
Sensationalism in journalism--United States
Prejudices in the press--United States
Television broadcasting of news--Objectivity--United States
Radio in politics--United States
Radio broadcasting--Political aspects--United States
Radio talk shows--United States
Internet--Political aspects
Internet--Political aspects--United States
Social media--Political aspects
Online social networks--Political aspects
Digital media--Political aspects
Blogs--Political aspects
Blogs--Political aspects--United States​
Mass media--Objectivity--United States
Journalism--Objectivity
Journalism--Objectivity--United States
Journalism--Political aspects
Journalism--Political aspects--United States
Journalism--Social aspects--United States
Journalism--Technological innovations
Journalism--United States
Journalism--United States--History--20th century
Journalism--United States--History--21st century
Sensationalism in journalism
Sensationalism in journalism--United States
Prejudices in the press--United States
Television broadcasting of news--Objectivity--United States
Radio in politics--United States
Radio broadcasting--Political aspects--United States
Radio talk shows--United States
Internet--Political aspects
Internet--Political aspects--United States
Social media--Political aspects
Online social networks--Political aspects
Digital media--Political aspects
Blogs--Political aspects
Blogs--Political aspects--United States​
Rhetoric--Political aspects
Rhetoric--Political aspects--United States
Rhetoric--Political aspects--United States--History
Rhetoric--Political aspects--United States--History--20th century
Rhetoric--Political aspects--United States--History--21st century
Communication--Political aspects
Communication--Political aspects--United States
Communication in politics
Communication in politics--United States
Language and the Internet
Rhetoric--Political aspects--United States
Rhetoric--Political aspects--United States--History
Rhetoric--Political aspects--United States--History--20th century
Rhetoric--Political aspects--United States--History--21st century
Communication--Political aspects
Communication--Political aspects--United States
Communication in politics
Communication in politics--United States
Language and the Internet
Among the IC Library databases, be aware that Communication Source provides access to the Journal of Media and Religion (full text from 2002 to 18 months before the present--issue #3 2013 as of today 03/20/2015).
General OneFile : is the most user-friendly of our comprehensive databases, covering almost any topic from a wide range of disciplinary angles and offering lots of full text. Use the default Subject search to find the best subject heading for your topic (and when you find a good one be sure to look at the "Related Subjects" to see if there's something even better).
When you settle on a subject heading, open the "Subdivisions" link below it. Most General OneFile subject searchs produce very large retrievals and the "subdivisions" help you narrow your search to a particular aspect: " Note: for any topic the Subdivisions will include "Media coverage" and "Religious aspects," so for instance you could look at Islam--Media Coverage or Abortion--Media Coverage and Abortion--Religious aspects.
Academic Search Premier & Communication Source Both these databases offer comprehensive subject coverage with considerable full text. Note that there is a “Subject Terms” link just above the search boxes, allowing you to search the index of Subject Headings--often a good first stop for more efficient Subject searching whereby you are guaranteed that your topic is indeed a main subject of the articles retrieved.
CQ Researcher is a weekly publication from Congressional Quarterly. Each report (approx. 20 pages) examines a single issue relevant to American public policy, including health, criminal justice, internaional affairs, education, the environment, technology, and the economy. The non-partisan analysis always includes a "Background," "Current Situation," "Outlook," and "Pro/Con" section, as well as numerous charts and graphs of statistical data, maps, and a bibliography for further reading.
Note the "Issue Tracker" and "Pro/Con" browsers on the left of the home page: these provide an excellent way to find or brainstorm a topic. Recent Religious topics treated include Religion and Law (2014), Religious Repression (2013), Future of the Catholic Church (2013), Islamic Sectarianism (2012), Sharia Controversy (2012), Understanding Mormonism (2012), Government and Religion (2010), Religious Fundamentalism (2009), Radical Islam in Europe (2007), Protestants Today (2007), and Rise of Megachurches (2007).
Rock of Ages: If you want to sample newspaper coverage of religious issues prior to 1970, try New York Times (1851-2009) , which provides the full text from 1851 (be sure to use the "date range" below the search slots to target particular eras). If you want to sample scholarly articles on religious issues from the late 19th century to the present, try JSTOR and again make use of the date range.
General OneFile : is the most user-friendly of our comprehensive databases, covering almost any topic from a wide range of disciplinary angles and offering lots of full text. Use the default Subject search to find the best subject heading for your topic (and when you find a good one be sure to look at the "Related Subjects" to see if there's something even better).
When you settle on a subject heading, open the "Subdivisions" link below it. Most General OneFile subject searchs produce very large retrievals and the "subdivisions" help you narrow your search to a particular aspect: " Note: for any topic the Subdivisions will include "Media coverage" and "Religious aspects," so for instance you could look at Islam--Media Coverage or Abortion--Media Coverage and Abortion--Religious aspects.
Academic Search Premier & Communication Source Both these databases offer comprehensive subject coverage with considerable full text. Note that there is a “Subject Terms” link just above the search boxes, allowing you to search the index of Subject Headings--often a good first stop for more efficient Subject searching whereby you are guaranteed that your topic is indeed a main subject of the articles retrieved.
A good initial strategy in this database is to search a likely topic in the Subject Terms and when you find it “explode” the term by double clicking it--this brings up a list of related Subject terms. You can check as many terms as you like before "adding" them to your search by AND-ing or OR-ing them together.
Note: Many Subject Headings here can include media or religious aspects: Islam in mass media, Abortion--Press coverage or Abortion--Religious aspects. You can shorthand this by finding the Subject term for your main topic and then adding-- Media or Press--in a second slot set for the Subject field. Likewise you can enter a Subject search on your main topic and add--Religion or Religious--in a second slot set for the Subject field. And you could also use more specific Subjects such as Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Catholic, etc.
ProQuest Research Library : is another comprehensive database with substantial full text. Use the "Thesaurus" (above the search slots) to preview what Subject Headings are available. Subect searching can be a more efficient way to search than with only Keywords, since it guarantees that the articles retrieved actually be about the Subject--not just use a particular word.
ProQuest offers a slew of Subject headings containing either Religion or Religious and the best Subject headings that focus on the news coverage of an issue are Media or Press or Journalism. So if your Subject is religious--Islam, Jesus, Fundamentalism, Religion, Jews--you can add a Subject line with Media or Press or Journalism; or if your Subject is simply a social issue--abortion, same-sex marriage, poverty, evolution--you can add a Subject line with Religion or Religious.
User Advisory: ProQuest is fussy about entering Subject searches in the designated search slot. If your subject is a person, enter the name--last name first--in the "Person" slot (e.g. Francis, Pope); if a named group of any kind--Microsoft, the Catholic Church, Radiohead, the New York Mets--enter it in "Co/Org"; if a place enter it in "Location."
LexisNexis Academic News: Offering a keyword search of 100% full text from a vast number of national and international newspapers, this is an easy database to use poorly and a bit tricky to use well. In order not to be overwhelmed with articles in which your search terms are mentioned anywhere—first or last paragraph—or any number of times—once or ten times—use commands to target articles in which your topic words are mentioned early or mentioned often.
Use the hlead command (headline and lead paragraphs) to target articles in which your topic words occur in the prime news-story position of headline or first paragraphs. For example: hlead("islamic state" or isis) will retrieve just the articles in which the termss “islamic state” or “isis” are used in the headline or first paragraphs. Note: the term or terms to which you want this command to apply must be put in parentheses after hlead, with no space between.
Use the altleast command to target articles in which your topic words occur a set number of times. For example: atleast5(“gay marriage”) will retrieve only the articles where this phrase is used at least 5 times—indicating that it must be a main topic. You can plug in any number after atleast—atleast3 or atleast7. Note: the term or terms to which you want this command to apply must be put in parentheses with no space between the number you choose and the first parenthesis.
Note: in the lefthand margin you can target a particular Publication or a particular Geography--though be aware that the Geography limit focuses on the country or region that is the subject of the article--it does not limit to publications from that country or region.
ProQuest Research Library : is another comprehensive database with substantial full text. Use the "Thesaurus" (above the search slots) to preview what Subject Headings are available. Subect searching can be a more efficient way to search than with only Keywords, since it guarantees that the articles retrieved actually be about the Subject--not just use a particular word.
ProQuest offers a slew of Subject headings containing either Religion or Religious and the best Subject headings that focus on the news coverage of an issue are Media or Press or Journalism. So if your Subject is religious--Islam, Jesus, Fundamentalism, Religion, Jews--you can add a Subject line with Media or Press or Journalism; or if your Subject is simply a social issue--abortion, same-sex marriage, poverty, evolution--you can add a Subject line with Religion or Religious.
User Advisory: ProQuest is fussy about entering Subject searches in the designated search slot. If your subject is a person, enter the name--last name first--in the "Person" slot (e.g. Francis, Pope); if a named group of any kind--Microsoft, the Catholic Church, Radiohead, the New York Mets--enter it in "Co/Org"; if a place enter it in "Location."
LexisNexis Academic News: Offering a keyword search of 100% full text from a vast number of national and international newspapers, this is an easy database to use poorly and a bit tricky to use well. In order not to be overwhelmed with articles in which your search terms are mentioned anywhere—first or last paragraph—or any number of times—once or ten times—use commands to target articles in which your topic words are mentioned early or mentioned often.
Use the hlead command (headline and lead paragraphs) to target articles in which your topic words occur in the prime news-story position of headline or first paragraphs. For example: hlead("islamic state" or isis) will retrieve just the articles in which the termss “islamic state” or “isis” are used in the headline or first paragraphs. Note: the term or terms to which you want this command to apply must be put in parentheses after hlead, with no space between.
Use the altleast command to target articles in which your topic words occur a set number of times. For example: atleast5(“gay marriage”) will retrieve only the articles where this phrase is used at least 5 times—indicating that it must be a main topic. You can plug in any number after atleast—atleast3 or atleast7. Note: the term or terms to which you want this command to apply must be put in parentheses with no space between the number you choose and the first parenthesis.
Note: in the lefthand margin you can target a particular Publication or a particular Geography--though be aware that the Geography limit focuses on the country or region that is the subject of the article--it does not limit to publications from that country or region.
ATLA religion database with ATLASerials : Our discipline-specific database for religion research. Setting search limits on the home page is a good idea if you are looking specifically for journal articles (under "publication type" select "article" to eliminate books and essays in books, which will not be available full text) or if you read only English (under Language select "English" to eliminate retrievals in other languages).
Subject searching is available--just open the "Select a Field" drop-down menu to the right of the search slots. And you can preview the Subject Headings available here by clicking on "Indexes" above the search slots and selecting "Subjects All." Not only will this allow you to confirm Subject Headings, but for each one you will be given a "count" of how many records have been assigned it, so you can see in advance where the greatest number of resources are available for your topic. CQ Researcher is a weekly publication from Congressional Quarterly. Each report (approx. 20 pages) examines a single issue relevant to American public policy, including health, criminal justice, internaional affairs, education, the environment, technology, and the economy. The non-partisan analysis always includes a "Background," "Current Situation," "Outlook," and "Pro/Con" section, as well as numerous charts and graphs of statistical data, maps, and a bibliography for further reading.
Note the "Issue Tracker" and "Pro/Con" browsers on the left of the home page: these provide an excellent way to find or brainstorm a topic. Recent Religious topics treated include Religion and Law (2014), Religious Repression (2013), Future of the Catholic Church (2013), Islamic Sectarianism (2012), Sharia Controversy (2012), Understanding Mormonism (2012), Government and Religion (2010), Religious Fundamentalism (2009), Radical Islam in Europe (2007), Protestants Today (2007), and Rise of Megachurches (2007).
Rock of Ages: If you want to sample newspaper coverage of religious issues prior to 1970, try New York Times (1851-2009) , which provides the full text from 1851 (be sure to use the "date range" below the search slots to target particular eras). If you want to sample scholarly articles on religious issues from the late 19th century to the present, try JSTOR and again make use of the date range.
- Ebrary
- Citation
- Interlibrary Loan
- Plagiarism Tutorial
- Religion and the News
- Religion, Media, and the Public Sphere
- Religion and Society : Social Media and Religious Change
- Media, Spiritualities and Social Change
- Media Portrayals of Religion and the Secular Sacred : Representation and Change
- Media, Religion and Culture : An Introduction
- E-Religion : A Critical Appraisal of Religious Discourse on the World Wide Web
- Fundamentalisms and the Media
- Cultural Theory after 9/11: Terror, Religion, Media
- God Willing? : Political Fundamentalism in the White House, the War on Terror and the Echoing Press
- Rhetoric and Public Affairs : Christianity and the Mass Media in America : Toward a Democratic Accommodation
- Shaking the World for Jesus : Media and Conservative Evangelical Culture
- God, Jews and the Media : Religion's Impact on Israel's Media
- Muslims and the New Media : Historical and Contemporary Debates
- Muslims and the News Media
- Local Contexts of Islamism in Popular Media
- Empowering Visions : The Politics of Representation in Hindu Nationalism
- Politics after Television : Hindu Nationalism and the Reshaping of the Public in India
- History of Communication : From Yahweh to Yahoo! : The Religious Roots of the Secular Press
- Television Advertising and Televangelism : Discourse Analysis of Persuasive Language
- Church on TV : Portrayals of Priests, Pastors and Nuns
- Redeeming the Dial : Radio, Religion, and Popular Culture in America
- Challenge of the Silver Screen : An Analysis of the Cinematic Portraits of Jesus, Rama, Buddha and Muhammad
- Religion and Film : An Introduction
- How Hysterical : Identification and Resistance in the Bible and Film
- Pew Research Center: Religion in Public Life: For religious aspects of social policy issues in the United States, Pew Research often is the news, as well as reporting on it. See especially the Topics menu, Publications, and Religion News.
- NYU Center for Religion and Media: Resources: A gateway to online resources concerned with religion in the media. See especially the Center's pulbication The Revealer: A Review of Religion & Media, which provides its own gateway to relevant Web resources: Revealing Links.
- Network for New Media, Religion and Digital Culture Studies: An "online resource center for researchers, students and those interested in investigating the intersection of new media, religion and digital culture." From Texas A&M; University. Open the tabs for News, Blog, and Publications and Press. They also offer Tools for Online Research where you can scroll down to a section titled Online Respositories and Archives for Religion Data. Finally, NMRDC partners with an online resource called Religion News Service.
- Resources on Faith, Ethics & Public Life from the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs: This Georgetown University Center provides both Knowledge Resources and Religion & Conflict Case Studies .
- Religion Newswriters Association: Top Ten religion Sories (by year): The RNA also supports ReligionLink, an online clearinghouse where I've linked you to the topics page.
- Mediating religion: Resources: Journals and Websites: A gateway to academic sites, blogs, online journals, and think tanks.
- Journal of Religion, Media and Digital Culture: This is an open access full text scholarly journal.
- Media and Religion: A white paper from the Center for Media, Religion, and Culture at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
- Most Americans say media coverage of religion too sensationalized: A report from University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
- Religion, Media, and Public Life in the 21st Century: Video of a lecture delivered by Krista Tippett at the Yale Divinity School.
In searching the Web you may find research and policy recommendations published by "think tanks," many of which have religious/political/ideological affiliations. An organization called SourceWatch can help you identify such ties and alert you to any political agenda the research was intended to serve.
If you wish to see how your topic is discussed at conservative and liberal think tanks, here are some online sites that discuss a wide range of social issues.
Conservative:
Liberal:
For a handy think tank search accessing all the Web content, use this one from the Harvard Kennedy School.
If you wish to see how your topic is discussed at conservative and liberal think tanks, here are some online sites that discuss a wide range of social issues.
Conservative:
- National Center for Public Policy Research
- Heritage Foundation
- Cato Institute
- American Conservative Union
- Federalist Society
- Christian Coalition
- Focus on the Family
Liberal:
- Institute for Policy Studies
- People for the American Way
- Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting
- Political Research Associates
- American Civil Liberties Union:
- Amnesty International
- National Gay and Lesbian Tak Force
For a handy think tank search accessing all the Web content, use this one from the Harvard Kennedy School.
MLA is the citation style used by most disciplines in the Humanities. The guides below use the latest 2008/9 standards.
