Items of Interest April 11, 2011 Issue

Religion coverage increasing

Adelle M. Banks

“Islam dominated religion coverage in 2010” © 2011 Religion News Service. Used with permission. February 25, 2011

Islam was the most frequent topic of religion news coverage in 2010, as the media doubled the amount of time and space devoted to religion compared to 2009.

An analysis by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life found that more than 40 percent of religion coverage centered on three issues: plans to build an Islamic cultural center near Ground Zero [in New York], a Florida pastor’s threat to burn the Quran, and commemorations of the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The news media devoted more time to elections (11.9 percent), foreign affairs (9.3 percent), and the economy (8.3 percent), but religion coverage reached 2 percent in 2010, doubling from about 1 percent in 2009.

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