wfn.org | Religion Communicators Council celebrates 70th anniversary

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

March 23, 1999	News media contact: Thomas S.
McAnally*(615)742-5470*Nashville, Tenn.  10-71B{153}

WASHINGTON (UMNS) - The Religion Communicators Council (RCC), one of the
nation's oldest  professional associations, celebrated its 70th anniversary
March 18-20 with special attention on "Communicating Freedom in a Diverse
World."

For those concerned that religion might be oppressed by the mainstream
media, a Yale law professor said the greater danger is that it will be
considered irrelevant.

In a keynote address, Stephan L. Carter, author The Culture of Disbelief,
told 120 religion communicators that framers of the U.S. Constitution did
not intend for the concept of separation of church and state to protect
church from state or vice versa. Instead, he said that the concept was to
protect faith. "What was fragile and vulnerable and easily corrupted is not
the mighty state, but faith. It was faith that was seen as fragile, faith
that needed protection."

During a luncheon at the Freedom Forum, Charles Haynes, senior scholar and
director of religious freedom programs at the First Amendment Center, said
religion can have a major place in public schools without offending
non-believers or violating the law.  

"It is my conviction," said Haynes, "that the First Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution is not just for judges and lawyers.  It is supposed to be the
civic framework within which we live our deepest differences."

Between a "sacred" school system which reflects a particular religious tone
and a "naked" system which is void of any reference to religion, Haynes
proposed a  "civic school," where religion and religious conviction are
treated with fairness and respect.

"If we don't do better at dealing with our differences, I'm not sure what
kind of future we have," he said.  "Religious differences are the deepest
and hardest ones we have.  The question is, 'How are we going to live out
our differences?'"

In a spirited dialogue on "Religion in the Public Square," Steven McFarland
of the Christian Legal Society and Barry Lynn of Americans United for the
Separation of Church and State sparred over the pervasiveness of religion in
the lives of Americans.

Barry, a lawyer and United Church of Christ clergyman, said religious issues
are not well covered on television but that more newspapers are reporting on
religious topics.  McFarland, on the other hand, said the federal government
has clamped down on religious groups, primarily Christian evangelical
groups.  

On the issue of vouchers, McFarland said they would allow the federal
government to create incentives to improve public schools.  Lynn countered
that a line must be drawn to ensure that no federal dollars directly flow
into the coffers of religious schools, adding that school vouchers would not
improve public education.

Three Washington-based reporters spoke about covering the religion beat.  

"One of the most important elements to news coverage will be the landscape
of religious pluralism, the increasingly diverse character of American
religion life," said David E. Anderson, editor of Religion News Service.

National Public Radio's Lynn Neary shared her work on stories dealing with
college students and religion.  "That's where the stories of the future will
be," she said. Many young people don't want to be identified as "religious,"
she said. Those who do embrace traditional religion prefer being identified
as "spiritual," she said. 

Hanna Rosin, who covers religion for the Washington Post, said changes are
at hand in "the way religion manifests itself in society and politics."
Churches have found, she said, that "getting candidates elected has not led
to having policies adopted."

RCC has two awards programs during its annual convention: the
DeRose-Hinkhouse Awards for members of the organization who have done
exemplary work, and the Wilbur Awards, honoring the secular media for
dealing with religious values and themes.

United Methodist Communications (UMCom) staff members receiving awards of
excellence in the DeRose-Hinkhouse competition were Nancye Willis  in the
Special Print Materials category for "Plug in to a world of ...", a resource
for UMCom Public Media resources; and J. Fred Rowles and Barbara Dunlap-Berg
in the Promotional Video category for "God Is In This Place," a video about
Camp Aldersgate near Little Rock, Ark.; and Bill Wolfe in the radio category
for spots on "Civility."

Merit awards for other United Methodist resources went to: Alma Graham,
editor of  New World Outlook magazine;  Martha Pilcher, Scarritt-Bennett
Center in Nashville, Tenn.; Alice M. Smith of the Georgia United Methodist
Communications Council; and Steven Horswill-Johnston, Barbara Nissen,
Deborah Jarrett and Kimberly Pace Ray, all of UMCom.

Hosting the RCC Awards ceremony at the National Press Club was award-winning
journalist Barbara A. Reynolds.  

For the second year in a row, Showtime Network's television series,
"Rescuers: Stories of Courage," won the television motion picture category.
Showtime's Holocaust-themed television movies are produced by Jeff Freilich,
with Barbra Streisand and Cis Corman as executive producers.

Walt Disney's "Simon Birch," written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson,
was named best theatrical film, scoring ahead of "Elizabeth" from Gramercy
and Miramax's "Life Is Beautiful."

Newspaper winners included Cecile S. Holmes of the Houston Chronicle, the
Sacramento Bee's Cynthia Hubert,  Mark O'Keefe of The Oregonian, and
Charlotte Observer's columnist, Ed Williams.  For the second time in three
years, the Dallas Morning New's  religion staff, headed by Diane Connolly,
received a Wilbur Award for the best weekly religion section.

The zany antics of "Over the Hedge" earned an award for cartoonists Michael
Fry and NNT. Lewis, drawing under the United Media Syndicate banner.
Suzanne O'Brien received the posthumous award for her late husband, Darcy
O'Brien, for his award-winning book, The Hidden Pope, published by Rodale
Press.

Other print winners included Sharon Begley and Kenneth L. Woodward of
Newsweek for their cover story, "Science Finds God," and Kelly Crow's "From
Here to Eternity: Putting a Face on Oklahoma Faith," for Oklahoma Today
magazine.  P. Kevin Morley received a Wilbur for his photography spread,
"Talking to God," in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

The PBS program, "Religion & Ethics Newsweekly," shared the top television
national news honor with CNN for its "NewsStand: CNN & Time" special report:
"The Dalai Lama: A Visit."

A local television reporter, Anne Ryder, took an award home to Indianapolis
for her news story, "Children of the Street," for WTHR. Another repeater
winner, The National Film Board of 
Canada, received an award for the TV Documentary category for "Surviving
Death: Stories of Grief."

In a crowded field of entries, CBS's KNX Newsradio in Los Angeles won for
"Domestic Violence: A Religious Awakening." A special Wilbur for educational
radio was awarded to National Public Radio's KCRW, also in Los Angeles, for
a long-running project, "Jewish Stories: From the Old World to the New."

The Wilbur is named for Marvin C. Wilbur, a pioneer in religious public
relations who was for more than 25 years executive director of the Religious
Public Relations Council (RPRC).

United Methodists have been involved in RCC since its early days, first as
the Religious Publicity Council, then later as the Religious Public
Relations Council. The name was changed to the Religion Communicators
Council last year.  

Former presidents of the organization were honored during an anniversary
luncheon. United Methodists included were the late Ralph Stoody, the first
staff executive of the Commission on Public Relations and Methodist
Information (1945-46); Winston H. Taylor, retired United Methodist News
Service (UMNS) staff member (1967-69); Sue Couch, former staff member of
UMCom, (1979-80); Tom McAnally, UMNS director (1988-90); and Shirley Whipple
Struchen, UMCom's Director of United Methodist Teleconference Connection and
Communication Education (1996-98).

Elected president of RCC during the Washington convention was Jeanean D.
Merkel, director of communications for the Leadership Conference of
Religious Orders, Silver Spring, Md.  She succeeds Thomas R. May, president
of the National Bible Society. Named as a new member of the RCC Board of
Governors is Lesley Crosson, director of public relations for the United
Methodist Board of Global Ministries.

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