Newsweek - National News, World News, Health, Technology, Entertainment and more... | Newsweek.com

Readback

RSS
SPONSORED BY

Author

 Kurt Soller

Categories





Links

Featured Postings

When You Bring up the Antichrist...

6:01 AM, November 20, 2008 | Comments (38)
For this week's magazine, Lisa Miller wrote her Belief Watch column about people who think Barack Obama is the Antichrist. Her piece focused largely on Todd Strandberg, the editor and founder of Raptureready.com , a site that Strandberg refers to as the...

Who Is This? Where Am I?

7:40 PM, October 17, 2008 | Comments (4)

Archives

See All from October
Previous
October 2008
Next
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
   1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031 
       
ABOUT THIS BLOG
"Readback" refers to the final stages of any Newsweek piece, as reporters and editors trade comments about how to make each article we run the best possible. But even after a piece lands in print or goes live online, that doesn't mean the story is over. This blog will call attention to the most interesting, amusing and insightful conversations that are happening in response to the news and Newsweek's stories. It will be updated daily to include viewpoints from reporters, editors and, most importantly, readers.

E-mail 'Readback'

Send us any feedback you have about this blog, other blogs on Newsweek.com, or the stories that appear online and in the magazine. We may choose to publish your comment on this blog or elsewhere on the Website, so include your name and hometown if you would like attribution. Send emails to letters@newsweek.com or contact us via the more traditional methods of U.S. mail at P.O. Box 2120, Radio City Station, New York NY 10101-2120 or fax at 212-445-4120
 
Full Post
Posted Thursday, October 30, 2008 11:14 PM

Parsing Palin and Religion

Kurt Soller
What are Sarah Palin’s religious beliefs? That’s a question that Lisa Miller and Andrew Murr tried to answer this week after noticing some boisterous Internet commentary on the subject. As my colleague Andy told me, “There was a lot of hysterical stuff in the blogosphere aimed at belittling Palin's religious views that we wanted to correct and clarify.” So he and Lisa wrote a piece explaining that, while we may never know Palin’s specific views, “we do know a lot about the religious milieu in which she lives, an environment that puts her both squarely within and somewhat outside the American Christian mainstream. This worldview can best be summed up as ‘very conservative Christian plus Alaska.’” In short, Palin has worshiped at both Pentecostal and more traditional Christian churches; meanwhile, she’s grown up in an individualistic state where beliefs range from Native American faiths to Latter Day Saints.

There’s no denying that her beliefs affect the way she might govern (especially when you consider the moral issues like abortion, stem cell research and gay marriage). And obviously, economics and war stake many pages in the Bible. So why were readers upset that Lisa and Andy tackled this topic? “Jesus and witches? The mainstream media are so transparent. Newsweek, along with the rest of the MSM can’t keep their eyes off of Palin with articles like this one attacking her hair, makeup, shoes and religion,” says one commenter, boldly putting Palin’s spiritual values on par with her sartorial ones.

Others agreed, saying it was unfair to even mention Palin’s religion, especially in an article that didn’t discuss Obama and the controversy involving Reverend Wright. “Man, this unbelievable,” wrote one reader. “The media spends every day of their lives attacking and putting Sarah Palin under the political microscope. Her religion, her beliefs, her votes, her actions as Governor. But a second rate Senator from Illinois does not get the least amount of scrutiny for his religion, his beliefs, his votes…” As a NEWSWEEK employee, I’d be remiss to not point out that we wrote a whole cover story on Obama’s religion, a topic that has been followed up often with Web stories like the one we're discussing. Some noticed this point, and were generous in mentioning that "Wright was the focus for weeks last spring into summer." Nonetheless, hundreds of comments on the story accuse the two writers of drinking the Kool-Aid, of pressing too hard on Palin’s Pentecostal past or even using the word “witch” in conjunction with her name. “You are going to do this and totally ignore Obama and Rev. Wright?” asks one reader. “If it an issue for one… then it is an issue for both.”

But should religion be an issue at all? The most heated debates in the thousands of comments left on the story went back and forth between whether politicians should count religion among talking points or taboos. “I don’t think Palin’s religion is important to her political views or tactics,” says commenter Mumsy25. “She has demonstrated this over and over. Therefore, I don’t think it is appropriate to question her faith.” Others disagreed: “I do think it is fair to look at her beliefs – they by no means disqualify her for VP. But just as many use her faith as a positive and a reason to vote for her, the same can be said that it can have a negative effect. I personally find it a little disconcerting that she believes the world could end in her lifetime. It is just one glimpse in the overall picture of a person.” A false picture, perhaps, for some readers: “This is a truly disgraceful hit piece,” wrote one reader. “If you want to know Sarah Palin’s religious beliefs, why don’t you ask her instead of dreaming up imaginary scenarios?”

Therein lies the problem. “Despite her credentials as a Christian conservative, Palin herself has been awfully quiet about her own faith, how it plays in her life, and so has the campaign,” explains Lisa Miller. “We’ve given a lot of space to Obama’s religion and we wanted to give equal attention to the other side, [especially] since it’s been reported that Palin earned her place on the Republican ticket in large part because she’s so attractive to conservative evangelicals – voters who are critical to winning an election for any Republican but who haven’t historically been so crazy about Senator McCain.”

Well, if this forum is any indication, that strategy worked. Mention Palin and religion in one breath, and you're sure to get voters -- or readers -- talking.

Advertisement
You must be a registered user to comment.  Click here to register.  Already a user?  Click here to login.

Member Comments

Posted By: ange (November 3, 2008 at 12:39 PM)

What are Obama's religous beliefs?  Rev. Jeremiah Wright!  Try to be fair Media

Report Abuse
Posted By: Nowforsomemoretruth (October 31, 2008 at 11:07 PM)

Study finds Media has Betray Trust of American People

Newsweek Article:

Study: Media coverage has favored Obama campaign

Study finds comments on evening newscasts over the past two months favored the Obama campaign

"For whatever reason, the media are portraying Barack Obama as a better choice for president than John McCain," said Robert Lichter, a George Mason University professor and head of the center. "If you watch the evening news, you'd think you should vote for Obama."

http://www.newsweek.com/id/165218

"A former Newsweek reporter admitted in an article this week that he has no objectivity and imagined disabling Rudy Giuliani so he wouldn't run in the presidential primary race last year.

Michael Hastings wrote in GQ magazine that he had a "recurring fantasy" that he could somehow stop the former New York City mayor in his tracks.

"I quickly realized Rudy was a maniac. I had a recurring fantasy in which I took him out during a press conference (it was nonlethal, just something that put him out of commission for a year or so), saving America from the horror of a President Giuliani. If that sounds like I had some trouble being 'objective,' I did. Objectivity is a fallacy," he said."

http://men.style.com/gq/features/full?id=content_7484&pageNum=2

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/55_say_media_bias_bigger_problem_than_campaign_cash

55% Say Media Bias Bigger Problem Than Campaign Cash

http://www.mediaresearch.org/cyberalerts/2008/cyb20080819.asp

Pew Research finds Media Credibility Plummets, Just 30% Believe 'Most Trusted' CNN

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/51_say_reporters_are_trying_to_hurt_palin_39_say_she_has_better_experience_than_obama

51% Say Reporters Are Trying To Hurt Palin; 39% Say She Has Better Experience Than Obama

Add to that The ugly side of Big Brother Socialism from the Obama Campaign:  Media Blackmail

October 31, 2008 12:27 PM  ABC Reports:

The Obama campaign has told three reporters they have to drop off the campaign plane this weekend. All three work for papers that endorsed Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.: the New York Post, the Washington Times, and the Dallas Morning News.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/10/citing-space-co.html

Barack Obama's campaign killed all interviews with a Florida TV station after Sen. Joe Biden, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, faced tough and critical questions from a reporter at the Orlando station, the Orlando Sentinel reported .

"This cancellation is non-negotiable, and further opportunities for your station to interview with this campaign are unlikely, at best for the duration of the remaining days until the election," wrote Laura K. McGinnis, Central Florida communications director for the Obama campaign, according to the Sentinel.

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2008/10/obama-campaign.html

Report Abuse