Nearly every semester I teach a basic news reporting class. For most of my students it's their first taste of being put through their paces and cranking out stories on deadline. They do one article a week – 350 words, at least one authoritative source, at least one additional source, a photo and a caption. This keeps them hopping for about the first 11 weeks of the semester. So toward the end of the term, I like to shift gears a little bit and give them a book report. … [Read more...] about Journalism Notes: Students go Gonzo for relativism
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Journalism Notes: Elephants, donkeys and media scapegoats
ESN is delighted to welcome Jeff Neely as our new regular journalism columnist. Jeff, a journalism professor at The University of Tampa, will explore issues in his field about twice a month at the ESN blog under the title Journalism Notes. Read his Scholar's Call piece "Every Christian is a Journalist" here. Note: If you'd like to write regularly on a particular discipline for ESN, email us here. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds … [Read more...] about Journalism Notes: Elephants, donkeys and media scapegoats
“Your crooked heart”: Literary Study and Spiritual Formation (Scholar’s Call)
John Runciman, King Lear in the Storm, 1767 Act III of Shakespeare's King Lear gets to me every time. Lear, spectacularly blinded by pride and bereft of power in his old age, having foolishly exiled one daughter and exposed himself to betrayal by the other two, retreats into a storm with his Fool and descends into madness, shaking his fist at nature, railing, “Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! Rage! Blow!” … [Read more...] about “Your crooked heart”: Literary Study and Spiritual Formation (Scholar’s Call)
Movies are Signposts in a Strange Land
May we point to the path, at times narrow and dark, but never without the Light.[i] … [Read more...] about Movies are Signposts in a Strange Land
Science in Review: Science Orthodoxy
"How Do I Show Religious Freaks That Science Wins?" So that happened in my Facebook feed this week. The title was obviously provocative. The fact that someone asked that of musician and party enthusiast Andrew W.K. of all people was fascinating and puzzling, although to be fair his response was reasonably measured and avoided the bait provided by the question. What most intrigued me, though, was the sentiment that "science wins." Is winning something that science aspires to? … [Read more...] about Science in Review: Science Orthodoxy