The 2011 survey of Religion Newswriters Association (RNA) members marks the 30th year the professional organization of religion beat specialists has conducted the poll.

Faith-based groups reacted to the terrorist leader’s death with renewed sympathy for victims’ families, scriptural citations justifying the demise of evil and hopeful prayers for peace among nations.

Earlier in the year, New York U.S. Rep. Peter King, (R-N.Y), chaired a series of controversial hearings in the House alleging radicalization among U.S. Muslims. Meanwhile, U.S. Senate hearings centered on crimes against Muslims. The hearings were voted the No. 2 religion story of 2011.

Read the complete Top 10 Religion Stories of 2011 at RNA.org

Covering Religion in the Shadow of 9/11
Friday, Nov. 4, 2011
1–4 p.m.
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
2950 Broadway, New York, NY
Room TBA

Four veteran religion writers–Samuel Freedman, Laurie Goodstein, Ari Goldman and George Vecsey–and one relative newcomer, Jaweed Kaleem of The Huffington Post–talk about covering religion and how it has changed in the decade since 9/11. The audience will include visiting students from Colgate University and their professor, Chris Vecsey, author of “Following 9/11: Religion Coverage in The New York Times.” The event is co-sponsored by the Religion Newswriters Association and is open to RNA members and prospective members. Refreshments will be served.

RSVP by Oct. 31 to Nicole Neroulias.

What is Catholicism? What makes it distinctive among all the other philosophies, ideologies, and religions of the world? Father Robert Barron, popular lecturer, writer, and theologian, answers these questions and more in his beautifully illustrated book, Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of Faith (Image Books, Sept. 6, 2011). Using art, literature, traditional theology, and his own personal narrative, Fr. Barron takes readers into the depths and beauty of the Catholic faith in a way no other book has ever done.

The release of the book corresponds with a 10-part documentary series of the same name. Four parts of the series air this fall on more than 80 PBS stations nationwide. For the most current TV listing, visit www.catholicismseries.com/watch/tv-schedule.

Because of his distinct insights and his approachable style of communicating, Fr. Barron makes this material accessible for a general audience seeking to learn the rich history of the Catholic faith. He explores many topics including: Who is Jesus? Who are Mary and the Apostles? What is the role of saints in the Church? What is the Holy Spirit, and what purpose does it serve? Rich and engaging, with attractive photos throughout, Barron has produced an unparallel resource.

“This is the most important media project in the history of the Catholic Church in America. A stimulating and compelling exploration of the spiritual, moral, and intellectual riches of the Catholic world.”

– George Weigel, Papal Biographer of Blessed John Paul II and New York Times Best-Selling Author

“Clarity, intelligence, passion and elegance — these are the marks of a writer in top form, and Father Barron brings all these gifts to bear in this extraordinary reflection on the Catholic faith. If you read one book this year on what Catholics believe and why, this is the book to read – and to share with others.”

– Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap, Archbishop of Philadelphia

Father Robert Barron is a sought-after speaker on the spiritual life–from prestigious universities to YouTube to national conferences and private retreats. The prominent theologian and podcasting priest is one of the world’s greatest and most innovative teachers of Catholicism. His global media ministry called Word On Fire has a simple but revolutionary mission– to evangelize the culture. Father Barron is the Francis Cardinal George Chair of Faith and Culture at the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois. He is the author of a number of theological works including The Priority of Christ and Word on Fire. This is his first trade book. Visit his web site at www.WordonFire.org. For more information on the Catholicism project and series, visit www.catholicismseries.com.

For more information or to schedule an interview, contact:

Cindy Brovsky, Publicist
cbrovsky@randomhouse.com, 719-268-1936

On Sale 9/6/2011 • Religion, History, Catholicism
ISBN: 978-0-307-72051-1 • eBook: 978-0-307-72053-5, $14.99
Hardcover • $27.99 U.S./$32.99 Canada

To read an excerpt of Catholicism, click here.

To watch a video of Father Barron about the book, click here.

To watch an on-demand Livestream Q&A video of Father Barron, click here.

David Roemer essays about science and religion have been published by the Church of England Newspaper, OrthodoxyToday.org, and Spero News. There is a link to the article on the author’s website. The Tradebit ID number for the article is 138493994.

Following 9/11: Religion Coverage in the New York Times

By   Christopher Vecsey
Syracuse University Press
Cloth $34.95 978-0-8156-0986-5
6 x 9, 408 pages, notes, works cited, index

“This insightful book reveals and explores the vital role media plays in shaping Americans’ ongoing conversation about religion in public life. A compelling work.”—Cecile S. Holmes, Associate Professor University of South Carolina School of Journalism

“Chris Vecsey puts the New York Times on the analyst’s couch in a way that few have done before. His method is thorough and his conclusions are compelling. In analyzing the Times and its religion coverage in the post 9/11 era, Vecsey sheds new light on both a great newspaper and a great nation. This is a tour de force!”—Ari L. Goldman, Author of “The Search for God at Harvard”

Following 9/11 examines the religious ramifications of 9/11 and its aftershocks through the lens of the New York Times. At the moment of the attacks, the Times turned to its standards of journalistic comprehension and its institutional memory regarding religious phenomena to grasp the news with customary tools of coverage. The events made good copy, surely, but also uncovered persistent themes in the treatment of religion in the Times.

Day in, day out, the New York Times is one of the most important news sources for understanding the contemporary world. Through the pages of the newspaper, Vecsey compiles an encyclopedic record of religion in our day. Analysis of religion coverage in the Times, focusing on 9/11 and its upshots, shows not only how the paper reported on the tragedy and its consequences, but also how it presented its conventional religious themes—about traditions, diversity, tolerance, institutional organization, interfaith cooperation, ethical judgment, etc.—in the crucible of the crisis.

9/11 was a political as well as a religious event, and it becomes evident—by probing Times coverage—how religion and politics have defined one another since 2001. Vecsey draws attention especially to the volatile public phrases “culture wars” and “clash of civilizations” to perceive the ways in which 9/11 crystallized and recast those concepts, so important in understanding the political dimensions of religion over the past decade. For years after 2001, in stories related to the tragedy, the Times moved beyond political coverage to the social, the cultural, the artistic, the intellectual, and especially the religious. Above all, however, the paper showed how religion, politics, and journalism define each other in these times following 9/11.

TO ORDER—Call Longleaf Services Inc at 800-848-6224 or email customerservice@longleafservices.org.

For More Information—Call Mona Hamlin, Syracuse University Press 315-443-5547 mhamlin@syr.edu
Visit— http://www.syracuseuniversitypress.syr.edu/spring-2011/following-9-11.html

Contact:  Amy Schiska
573-355-5201 ext. 3#
Schiska@RNA.org

Study Islam, Religion and Politics, War, Theology—on us!

Journalists, editors eligible for $5,000 scholarships for college religion courses

(Columbia, Mo.) — RELIGION | NEWSWRITERS invites journalists, regardless of beat, to apply to its Lilly Scholarships in Religion Program. The scholarships give full-time journalists up to $5,000 to take college religion and spirituality courses.

With religion headlines taking center stage, now is the perfect time to dig deeper into today’s hottest religion stories. More than 200 people have already taken advantage of RELIGION | NEWSWRITERS’ Lilly Scholarships in Religion Program for Journalists.

Some topics reporters have studied include: Islamic Movements, God & Politics, Early Christianity and Western Culture, Religious Tradition and Scientific Inquiry, Buddhism and Science, Violence and Liberation and Religion and Medicine.

“I have had three exciting opportunities to study religion through a Lilly Scholarship, and each time I believe it has made me a more well-rounded reporter, and a more understanding person.  The scholarship program is allowing me to further my religious studies in a way that would not otherwise be possible,” said Bridget Brown, A News (a division of CTVGlobemedia).

The scholarships can be used at accredited colleges, universities, seminaries or similar institutions.  Journalists can take any religion course they choose. Scholarships cover tuition, books, registration fees, parking and other course-related costs. Online and travel classes are also eligible (as long as travel costs are a part of the curriculum).

All full-time journalists—including reporters, editors, designers, copy editors, editorial writers, news directors, researchers and producers—are eligible, regardless of their beat.

The next scholarship application deadline is Oct. 1, 2011. Scholarships must be used within three academic quarters of their award date. Only full-time journalists working in the general circulation news media are eligible.

RELIGION | NEWSWRITERS is the world’s only journalism association for people who write about religion in the mainstream news media. The scholarships are offered through its non-profit arm, the Religion Newswriters Foundation, with funding from the Lilly Endowment, Inc.

Complete information about the Lilly Scholarships in Religion program is available at http://bit.ly/j8MOOg For questions, contact Amy Schiska at 573-355-5201 ext. 3#, or Schiska@RNA.org.

RELIGION | NEWSWRITERS offers training and tools to help journalists cover religion with balance, accuracy and insight. Visit www.RNA.org to learn more about our RELIGION | LINK story ideas, Religion stylebook and primer, contests for religion reporting, annual conference and more.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kevin Eckstrom
Editor-in-Chief, Religion News Service
(202) 463-8777 x225 or (202) 390-0240

Debra Mason
Manager, Religion News LLC
(573) 882-9257

RELIGION NEWS SERVICE ENTERS NONPROFIT PARTNERSHIP WITH RELIGION NEWSWRITERS FOUNDATION

New nonprofit news venture to expand and enhance coverage of religion nationwide with support from Lilly Endowment

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Religion News Service (RNS), which for 77 years has been the nation’s leading syndicated wire service devoted to unbiased coverage of religion, ethics and spirituality, will become a nonprofit on June 1, 2011, in an innovative new relationship with the Religion Newswriters Association (RNA) and its affiliated institution, Religion Newswriters Foundation (RNF). The collaboration also forges ties between RNS and the University of Missouri School of Journalism and its Reynolds Journalism Institute.

Founded in 1934, RNS has been owned since 1994 by Advance Publications, Inc. On June 1, 2011, the company will transfer RNS assets to Religion News LLC, a new 501(c)(3) entity affiliated with RNF, according to an agreement finalized today.

A three-year grant totaling nearly $3.5 million from the Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc. will help RNS make the transition, expand its online presence and launch a series of community religion websites devoted to maintaining and expanding coverage of religion news in underserved markets.

“Religious beliefs motivate people in key aspects of their lives, yet most small and mid-sized media markets have abandoned coverage of religion,” said Dr. Debra L. Mason, executive director of RNA and RNF and a professor at the University of Missouri, who will manage the new nonprofit. “We seek to seed communities with knowledgeable religion journalists, showcase RNS’ terrific coverage and build on existing social networks to create a robust and economically viable model for local religion news.”

The RNS editorial offices will remain in Washington, sharing space with University of Missouri programs at the National Press Building.

RNS subscribers can expect to receive even more of the quality religion coverage that has made RNS the most trusted source of religion news for the nation’s daily newspapers, religious publications and websites.

“This new venture allows us to continue our award-winning religion coverage under the RNS name and expand our content for the 21st century,” said RNS Editor-in-Chief Kevin Eckstrom. “We’re grateful to Lilly Endowment for sharing our vision that we need more, not less, coverage of a subject that is at the heart of so much of our national and global life.”

As part of the expanded RNS, readers and editors can expect:

• The launch of a revamped and interactive RNS website, www.ReligionNews.com (Fall 2011)
• The creation of up to 20 local community-based websites showcasing nuanced local and national coverage of religion in underserved markets
• Entrepreneurial strategies to engage new audiences
• Expanded coverage of targeted topics, including religion and politics

The transition to nonprofit status is the result of two years of work by both RNS and RNF staff. The acquisition was initiated by the late Deborah Howell, former Washington bureau chief of Advance Publications’ Newhouse News Service. The RNF board approved the creation of Religion News LLC in fall 2009.

According to Steve Newhouse, chairman of Advance.net: “We’re proud to have owned RNS these past 17 years, and we’re excited about RNS’ future after joining forces with Religion Newswriters Foundation.”

The research capabilities, entrepreneurial activities and media collaborations of the University of Missouri-based Reynolds Journalism Institute, as well as the interdisciplinary Center on Religion & the Professions, will also enhance RNS as it moves forward.

Steve Maynard, president of RNA and RNF, said the board welcomes the new collaboration. “This is a tremendous opportunity for RNA and RNF,” said Maynard, the religion reporter at The News Tribune in Tacoma, Wash. “We have great respect for the work Religion News Service has done, and we look forward to this new era for our organization and the advancement of religion reporting.”

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Religion News LLC, incorporated in the State of Ohio, is a nonprofit 501(c)3 corporation formed in 2010 and affiliated with the Religion Newswriters Foundation. Religion News LLC is overseen by a managing board consisting of Debra L. Mason, who also serves as executive director of the Religion Newswriters Association and Foundation; Deborah Caldwell of CNBC.com; and Steve Buttry of the Journal Register Company.

RNF is a charitable, literary and educational organization founded in 1999 as the supporting foundation to the 62-year-old RNA. Its mission is to promote excellence in media coverage and public discourse about religion. With philanthropic support, RNF has created numerous tools and training opportunities aimed at improving coverage of religion, including ReligionLink, Lilly Scholarships in Religion, ReligionStylebook.com, and more than 100 training events.

RNS is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and provides daily coverage of national and international religion news to some of the nation’s leading news outlets, including The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, NPR, Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, Time magazine, USA TODAY, Beliefnet, The Huffington Post, Christianity Today and The Christian Century. It is led by Editor-in-Chief Kevin Eckstrom, Associate Editor Daniel Burke and Production Editor Adelle M. Banks.

Advance Publications, Inc. is a privately held communications company that, directly or through subsidiaries, owns Condé Nast Publications, Parade Publications, Fairchild Publications, American City Business Journals, and award-winning newspapers in more than 25 American cities.

The Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri works with citizens, journalists and researchers to strengthen democracy through better journalism. RJI seeks out the most exciting new ideas, tests them with real-world experiments, uses social science research to assess their effectiveness, and delivers solutions that citizens and journalists can put to use in their own communities.

Lilly Endowment, a private philanthropic foundation based in Indianapolis, since 1937 has focused its grantmaking in the areas of religion, community development and education. The primary aim of its religion grantmaking is to deepen and enrich the religious lives of American Christians, principally by supporting efforts to encourage, support and educate a new generation of talented pastors and to strengthen current pastors in their capacities for excellence in ministry. The Endowment helps congregations be vibrant, healthy communities of faith and encourages efforts that make available and accessible the wisdom of the Christian tradition for contemporary life. The Endowment also supports projects that strengthen the contributions that religious ideas, practices, values and institutions make to the common good of society and promote informed dialogue about religion in American life.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 18, 2011
Contact: Debra Mason
DebraMason@RNA.org
573-882-9257

NEW! Deadline extended through May 6, 2011

CALL FOR ENTRIES:

Chandler Award for Student Religion Writer of the Year

Enter by May 6, 2011, for a chance to win $600 cash plus trip to Durham

(Columbia, Mo.)—Students who have published three stories on faith, ethics or spirituality are invited to enter the 2011 Chandler Award for Student Writer of the Year in Religion for a chance to collect $600 in cash. Winners also receive free travel to Durham, N.C., to claim their prize at the Religion Newswriters Association’s annual awards banquet and conference this September.

Entering is free! Stories from professional internships or student media in print or online formats are accepted. A sampling of eligible topics include:

• Japan earthquake/tsunami & faith-based outreach
• Religion & LGBT youth
• Pop culture & religion (movies, music, books, television)
• Diverse faiths on campus
• Science, health & religion (abortion, stem cell research, health care)
• Muslims in America
• Clergy abuse crisis in the Catholic church

The award, administered by the Religion Newswriters Association, honors excellence in student writing with an emphasis on reporting skill and a grasp of religion issues that is fair, balanced and in accordance with journalistic standards.

The entry deadline is May 6, 2011, and winners will be notified in July.

To view the contest rules and enter online, visit our website, www.RNA.org/?page=contests_students, or become a fan on Facebook: Facebook.com/ChandlerAward

Student religion reporters and editors can also benefit from these free resources from RELIGION | NEWSWRITERS, available at www.RNA.org:

• Religion | LINK story ideas and sources
• Stylebook of religious terms
• Primer on covering religion
• Online resource library
• RNA student membership information

The student contest is made possible through the generosity of the Chandler Legacy Fund in honor of Russell Chandler, former religion writer for the Los Angeles Times, and his wife, ML.

RELIGION | NEWSWRITERS is the world’s only association for journalists who write about religion in the general circulation news media.  We strive to promote excellence in media coverage and public discourse about religion by offering tools and training on covering religion, including: RELIGION | LINK story ideas and sources; a religion stylebook, primer and frequently asked questions about the religion beat; an annual training conference; contests honoring excellence in religion coverage; membership and networking. For more information or how to join RNA, see www.RNA.org.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For More Information:

Alexis Walkenstein, 678-990-9032,
AWalkenstein@MaximusMG.com or
Christine Schicker, 404-610-8871,
CSchicker@MaximusMG.com

Unprecedented tele-press conference on Pope’s new book
features renowned panel of scholars, theologians

Interfaith community reacts to ‘Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week’

SAN FRANCISCO, March 8, 2011 – At 2 p.m. Eastern Time Wednesday (March 9)—on the eve of the worldwide release of Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week—an unprecedented tele-press conference will feature a renowned interfaith group of biblical scholars and theologians discussing the Pope, the book and its impact on the figure of Jesus.

Media from around the world will hear comments about the book from—and ask questions of—a panel that includes Fr. Joseph Fessio, S.J., founder and publisher of Ignatius Press and a former student of then-Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI); Dr. Jacob Neusener of Bard College, author of “A Rabbi Talks With Jesus;” Dr. Craig A. Evans of Acadia University’s (Canada) Acadia Divinity College and co-author of “Jesus, The Last Days;” Fr. Thomas G. Weinandy, O.F.M. Cap., executive director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat for Doctrine; Dr. Brant Pitre of Notre Dame Seminary (Louisiana) and author of “Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist: Unlocking the Secrets of the Last Supper;” Dr. Ben Witherington III of Asbury Theological Seminary (Kentucky) and author of “The Jesus Quest: The Third Search for the Jew of Nazareth;” and Mark Brumley, president and CEO of Ignatius Press and author of the study guides for both of Benedict XVI’s volumes on Christ’s life.

Excerpts from Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week continue to make news—almost a week after their release. Response to the book is extraordinary.

“This theological masterpiece courageously confronts head-on two centuries of historical exegesis,” Dr. Neusner said, “and establishes a fresh way of reading the Gospels as both biography and theology in a coherent way.”

“This is a splendid, penetrating study of the central figure of Christian faith,” said Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., of the Archdiocese of Denver. “(The book is) a learned and spiritual illumination not only of who Jesus was, but who he is for us today.”

A very limited number of spots remain available for media wishing to be part of this special tele-press conference. Media wishing to join should contact Alexis Walkenstein of the Maximus Group (678-990-9032) as soon as possible.Jesus of Nazareth II, to request a review copy or to schedule an interview with Ignatius Press Publisher Jesuit Fr. Joseph Fessio or others, please contact The Maximus Group’s Alexis Walkenstein at 678-990-9032 or Christine Schicker at 404-610-8871. For more information about

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Deadline: February 28, 2011.

For contest rules and past winners, please see http://www.aarweb.org/jump/jawards. For questions, please contact Susan Snider at ssnider@aarweb.org or 404-727-4725.