BETWEEN THE LINES: RELIGION COVERAGE OPENS WINDOW TO COMMUNITY'S SOUL

With the upcoming visit of Pope John Paul II, I've been reading plenty about the Catholic Church and religion in America. It's partly research for the stories I'll write while covering the papal visit to St. Louis and it's partly a personal interest.

I've learned while living in the "buckle" of the Bible Belt, that religion is important to readers. Faith and religious matters shape how we deal with everyday problems and the really big ethical issues of life and death.

Last week, I discovered that many newspapers across the country also realize just how important issues of faith and religion really are. For two days last week, I talked "shop" with other reporters and editors at a conference in Memphis.

The general consensus was that religion reporters have one of the best jobs in the business. Covering the God beat is an adventure, but it also means bearing a load of responsibility.

The stories we report are often stories that haven't been written before. And sometimes they are riddled with controversy. We are shaping the way people think about religion merely by increasing or decreasing our coverage. Whose stories we choose to tell also shed some light on our beliefs.

Religion reporters wrestle heavily with the issues of fairness and balance in their stories. That's not to say that other reporters don't consider these same issues, but balance is of utmost concern when decisive church and denomination controversies are at stake.

For the most part, people like our work. They read religion stories and are interested in what's going on at churches, temples and synagogues in their area.

I'd venture a guess that religion reporters receive more supportive mail and phone calls than any other reporters on staff. Few people are upset that their local newspaper is covering a religion story. Maybe they don't like talking about the difficult issues, but they don't mind the coverage as long as it's fair and accurate. And sometimes, they discover that talking about those tough issues helps things get sorted out.

In a business where complaints are common, reporters love to hear compliments. Getting a thank you note or letter in the mail really brightens up our day.

But getting letters and phone calls isn't the reason religion reporters -- or any staff writer for that matter -- likes their work. What makes my job exciting is that people are eager to tell me their stories.

And I'm ready to listen to you.

I'm looking for some help. I need you to tell me what's happening in your churches and religious communities. I can't be everywhere at once, though I try to visit area churches regularly.

When I first started this job, I was looking for a church home myself and visited a different church (and denomination) each week. Finally, I found a home but getting to visit other churches always brings me new ideas.

Those fresh ideas filled our religion pages throughout 1998, with plenty of help from area church members and staff. If you have ideas for religion stories, compliments or complaints, I would like to hear them. If you don't share your stories of faith, how can I share them with other readers. Call me at 335-6611, ext. 126 or e-mail them to ljohnston@semissourian.com

~Laura Johnston is a copy editor for the Southeast Missourian.