On Sunday, May 19 at 2 p.m., St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Riverside will host a conversation between two leading thinkers on religion and the media. Thomas Gallagher, CEO of the Religion News Service, and Bill Baker, who directs the Bernard L. Schwartz Center for Media, Public Policy & Education at Fordham University, will explore current trends in how the media covers religious topics.
The program format will be an informal conversation as they discuss local, national and international representations of faith in a changing media environment. Among the topics will be: How does the 24-hour news cycle effect reporting on religion? Are there particular areas of faith traditions or religious matters the media covers more extensively? How does the media cover important, transformative work that faith communities seek in their ministries?
Gallagher, a lawyer and journalist, has been the CEO and Publisher of Religion New Services since 2016. Gallagher has written about domestic and foreign affairs for the National Catholic Reporter since 2009. In 2017, the Connecticut Press Club awarded Tom First Place for Religion for two stories he filed from Iraqi Kurdistan.
Baker is the President Emeritus of WNET-13 PBS New York. Baker is the recipient of seven Emmy Awards, two Columbia DuPont Journalism Awards, and three Gabriel Awards for programs in religion. He is the executive producer of several films and documentaries including “The Face: Jesus in Art” and “Picturing Mary.”
St. Paul’s Church is located at 200 Riverside Ave. This is the final program in a year-long series titled “Sunday Afternoon in the Library” which explores topics of relevance to the local community. More details can be found at stpaulsriverside.org or by calling 203-637-2447.
