At a time when more religious literacy would help combat political polarization and disinformation, robust news coverage about religion and faith communities has disappeared along with 2,400 newspapers since 2005. Thirty years ago, the Religion News Association counted 500 members. Today, only a few dozen religion writers are working full-time across the entire country. Since 1934, Religion News Service (RNS) has helped ensure stories about faith communities and beliefs are being told. With this proposal, RNS would significantly increase both reach and impact through a new editorial partnership with National Public Radio (NPR) and local public radio stations across the country.
The partnership has the potential to reach 44 million listeners and users across public radio, streaming and digital platforms. RNS would provide unparalleled editorial expertise about religion reporting to public media journalists. Both RNS and NPR would dedicate senior editors, producers and journalists to co-produce audio and/or digital stories.
This project promises to help inform and help more Americans appreciate religious traditions other than their own, providing a major source of religious literacy and new opportunities to support the American tradition of religious pluralism.