School of Journalism

College of Arts & Sciences

Northeastern University
360 Huntington Avenue
102 Lake Hall
Boston, MA 02115-5000

phone: 617.373.3236
fax: 617.373.8773

Image 2

Events

“The Forum on Covering Religion”

Wednesday, April 2

SESSION I

“Religion in the News: What Future
Reporters and Editors Need to Know”

11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Ballroom, Student Center

FREE

Speakers


Benjamin Hubbard

Chair Emeritus of comparative religion at California State University, Fullerton. He is an expert on religion and media, and has written and taught widely on the subject of covering religion. He is a frequent op-ed contributor and blogger for newspapers in Southern California. He will focus on the history and development of religion reporting and understanding religion and politics.


Debra Mason

Executive Director, Religion Newswriters Association and director of the Center on Religion and the Professions at the University of Missouri, Columbia, MO. She has 25 years of reporting, research and teaching. She will focus on what you need to know to become a religion reporter. She will also discuss challenges faced by general assignment reporters who come across stories where religion plays a critical role.


Munir Shaikh

Executive Director of the California-based Institute on Religion and Civic Values. His organization, formerly called the Council on Islamic Education, has worked with the Freedom Forum and others to promote accurate depictions of Islam in books and other media. He will focus on the press, media and stereotyping and the portrayal of Islam in the U.S. media.

SESSION II

“Covering the Big Religion Story”

3 – 4 p.m.

Pavilion, Alumni Center, 6th Floor, 600 Columbus Place, 716 Columbus Ave.

Speaker

Michael Paulson

Mr. Paulson, the Boston Globe’s religion reporter, will talk about the challenges of covering the big religion story. He will discuss a startup evangelical church in Boston, the upcoming visit of the Pope, and his own experience covering the Catholic clergy sexual abuse scandal. Paulson was a member of a team from The Boston Globe awarded the Pulitzer Prize in public service reporting in 2003.

Host and Moderator for Both Sessions

Stephen Burgard, Director of the School of Journalism.

For more information contact Stephen Burgard at 617-373-3238.