Monthly Archives: October 2009

A Story to Sink Your Teeth Into

Near the end of American Beauty, an abandoned plastic bag languidly drifts and falls on a bare city street. Its graceful dance convinces one of the film's characters that “there was this entire life behind things, and this incredibly benevolent … Continue reading

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Departures and Arrivals

Sergey Brin's $1 million gift to HIAS, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, is a reminder that the relationship between religion and immigration is long, deep and rarely covered. HIAS, whose initial commitment to rescuing and resettling Jews worldwide now extends … Continue reading

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Prophet(s) of Doom

by Don Lattin News of Elizabeth Clare Prophet's death sent me tripping back two decades, to the summer of 1989, when the news media descended on Paradise Valley, Montana, to wait out the biggest religion non-story of all time–the end … Continue reading

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The New New Journalism

Journalism used to be a zero sum game: Either I made the front page or you did—and even then there wasn't enough space. Mostly editors didn't “get” our stories; sometimes they completely overlooked our beats. When we knew what they … Continue reading

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Sins of Omission and Commission

Sex, scandal, God and mammon—it's been headline bait since the earliest newspapers. If you know the story of the Prophet Matthias (an 1830s “cult” leader whose religious career ended with a murder trial), you know there's nothing new under the … Continue reading

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You're Soaking in It!

New names are in—first we did it, and now my bosses did too. The USC Annenberg School for Communication has added “& Journalism” to its moniker. In both our cases, what does it signify? Two words: entrepreneurship and incentives. And … Continue reading

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Who's Zooming Whom?

by Andrea Tabor I first heard about the Telegraph's “Ahmadinejad is Jewish” exposé on Facebook. The comments came flooding onto my coworker's wall. Among my favorites: “hahahhahahaha oh mannnnnnnnn this is so funny right now to the point where i … Continue reading

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Trans/Missions

Today may be the first day of the rest of your life, but it's also the first day to savor our new logo. The USC Knight Chair in Media and Religion, a stopgap name, didn't really describe what we do. … Continue reading

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