wfn.org | RCCongress 2020 - Mary Stamp to Offer Journalism Workshop

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

> Mary Stamp

> Founder and Editor of The Fig Tree

> RCCongress 2010 Workshop:

Peace and Justice Journalism: Covering Faith in Action Regionally and
Modeling Media Responsibility

Mary Stamp is the founder and editor of The Fig Tree, which publishes
a monthly newspaper, web site, directory, and other media to connect
the faith and nonprofit communities of the Inland Northwest.

A 1967 graduate of the University of Oregon School of Journalism, she
worked for daily, weekly and monthly newspapers along with freelance
writing from 1963 to 1984. Then she started The Fig Tree through the
former Spokane Council of Ecumenical Ministries. The newspaper's
mission initially was to cover religion news, not being covered
locally. When local media saw credible stories in the faith community,
they hired a religion reporter.

The Fig Tree shifted its mission to covering faith in action and
connecting the faith and nonprofit communities. It's goal is to
promote communication among people of faith in the region, breaking
through divisions among them to build understanding that promote
common action and hope.

Mary's commitment to ecumenism was nurtured through graduate study
with the Ecumenical Institute of the World Council of Churches in 1969
and 1970 near Geneva, Switzerland, WCC assemblies in 1983 at
Vancouver, 1991 at Canberra, 1998 in Harare, and 2006 in Porto Alegre.
The "Communicating Credibly" document from the 1983 assembly and
stories she heard shared in those gatherings, stories ignored in other
media, helped inspire her to start The Fig Tree.

Mary also edits the Pacific Northwest Conference edition of United
Church News. She is also on the board of the Northwest Alliance for
Responsible Media, modeling media responsibility through The Fig Tree
and more specifically recognizing that The Fig Tree represents and has
been doing what some in academia are now defining as "peace journalism."
Peace and Justice Journalism: Covering Faith in Action Regionally and
Modeling Media Responsibility

Many media still dwell on sensational coverage focusing on sex,
conflict, violence and what's broken, keeping their audience coming
back. What a different society we would have if media educated people
to believe they can make a difference by improving their
relationships, communities, society, nations and world!

Access to news is no longer limited to mass media. It is possible to
address sensitive subjects like religion and justice, and to move
people from indifference and hostility to respect, caring and action.

Mary will share how The Fig Tree models and trains people to do peace
or solutions-oriented journalism to:

> * Help us overcome divisions and isolation

> * Help us respect diverse opinions and people

> * Treat us as thinkers not consumers

* Urge us to identify and resolve social problems and injustices

* Help us overcome gender, racial and economic bias and violence

Religion Communication Congress | Voice: 212-870-2985 | Fax:
212-870-2171 | info@rccongress2010.org