Faith and the Journalist

This was probably my favorite presentation so far. Faith and religion is such an important part of my life, and I feel like no matter what my profession is, it will be incorporated into it. However, I've often heard that it's impossible to be a good Mormon (or member of any other religious sect, for that matter) and a journalist. When I first was told this, I was kind of bothered. I mean, why would someone have to foresake their beliefs in order to write. Is it not possible? In all honesty, I do think it is possible. Is it hard? Of course. But it is possible.

There may be times in which we may be asked to write a story that may not coincide with our Faith, or that we need to objective towards one particular group. There will be other times in which we may want to incorporate our own beliefs into certain statements that we fill would benefit from what we have to say, but we cannot. In these times, our beliefs may be tested. However, it is possible to be objective but not deny your faith. 

Journalists are supposed to portray the truth. With that being said, it should be universal truth that they report on, and not on what they personally believe to be true. There are so many different beliefs around the world, that what one person believes to be true won't be true to someone else. For instance, someone may be asked to report alcoholism. An LDS reporter may be tempted to bring in quotes from Prophets and from the World of Wisdom, because he or she believes that to be truth. However, a person who doesn't necessarily share the LDS faith may disregard any of that because he or she doesn't believe in the Church. Instead, the journalist should state facts that have been proven and support the argument that alcohol is bad for anyone.

I'm not saying we should completely leave faith out of our work. If asked to report on something that would compromise ones standards, we should stand strong and do the right thing. With most things, it's important to find a balance. Actions speak louder than words. If a journalist wants to make their faith apparent, they can show that by showing integrity and respect in the things they say and report on. Faith is important, and should not be abandoned with a career. Having faith and being a journalist at the same time is possible!

Here are some videos/links about faith/religion in journalism:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jriJ44bxKgU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHKfBLjWths

Is journalism a religion itself?

http://journalism.nyu.edu/pubzone/weblogs/pressthink/2004/01/07/press_religion.html

http://newscrucible.wordpress.com/category/religion-and-journalism/