Resisting Protestant Hegemony: Privileging Coverage in Religion Reporting
In: Journal of Religion, Media and Digital CultureSearch for other papers by Kathryn Montalbano in
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Abstract
The present study explores how religion reporters in the United States (n = 20) define religion and privilege religious identities, at times also working to combat dominant hegemonic narratives about some of these religious groups. We find that some religion reporters covered religion in ways that reflect the institutional power of religious traditions, whereas others aimed to combat the hegemonic power structures of dominant religious identities by covering less prominent groups or usurping stereotypical framings of other groups. This paper (1) provides a window into the evolving landscape of religious news in the United States, tracing how many of these journalists aim or at least recognize the need to overcome White, Protestant hegemonic lenses for understanding religion in the United States through their reporting, and (2) demonstrates how religion reporters’ approaches to covering religion, even while drawing from secular principles and values of journalism, are a byproduct of religion itself.
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| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 396 | 171 | 3 |
| Full Text Views | 15 | 5 | 0 |
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Resisting Protestant Hegemony: Privileging Coverage in Religion Reporting
In: Journal of Religion, Media and Digital CultureSearch for other papers by Kathryn Montalbano in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Gregory Perreault in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
The present study explores how religion reporters in the United States (n = 20) define religion and privilege religious identities, at times also working to combat dominant hegemonic narratives about some of these religious groups. We find that some religion reporters covered religion in ways that reflect the institutional power of religious traditions, whereas others aimed to combat the hegemonic power structures of dominant religious identities by covering less prominent groups or usurping stereotypical framings of other groups. This paper (1) provides a window into the evolving landscape of religious news in the United States, tracing how many of these journalists aim or at least recognize the need to overcome White, Protestant hegemonic lenses for understanding religion in the United States through their reporting, and (2) demonstrates how religion reporters’ approaches to covering religion, even while drawing from secular principles and values of journalism, are a byproduct of religion itself.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 396 | 171 | 3 |
| Full Text Views | 15 | 5 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 35 | 13 | 0 |
