IttHMIIIIIIMIIIIIMtlllMUIINMIHIMHHUIIIIIUUIIIIIIIIIIIIK
Should we co
Johnson. "But ministers are
leaders and, in my judgment,
public people -- especially in a city
like Winston-Salem, where the
church plays such a prominent
role. Like elected officials,
ministers have certain respon'
sibilities - and when they don't
uphold those responsiblities, they
should be held accountable, just
as we all should.
"Sometimes the truth is painful,
" Johnson said. "And
sometimes the newspaper is put
in the ages-old predicament of
being the bearer of bad news who
is blamed for the bad news."
Drawing The Line
Still, where do you draw the
line?
"I think you have to think
about what's best for the community,"
said the Rev. Carlton
Eversley, pastor of Dellabrook
Presbyterian Church. "Is the
public's right to know connected
with gqssip? Is the story really
newsworthy?"
Dr. Kelly O.P. Goodwin,
pastor emeritus of First Baptist
Church and a member of the
Chronicle's advisory board, said
almost any story can qualify as a
matter of public interest if the
media decide to play up the story.
"I think people get interested
in it when it gets whipped up as a
story," Goodwin said.
For Henry Robinson, a black
religion reporter for The
Asheville Citizen-Times, drawing
the line between a private church
matter and a topic for public
discussion is more complex.
Robinson said he considers
whether or not the issue has
become a matter of public record
- involving a legal document
such as an arrest warrant or court
order -- whether the church is
split and whether the issue will
... make "good copy."
"It's not necessarily a matter
22 of public interest," Robinson
Local Chrisi
From Page A1
INIIIIIIINIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINIIIINHNIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIUIlin
and Christianity."
"The emphasis for the prograi
tionships within both commun
Griggs, executive director of the
Griggs said the idea for the
dialogue held last spring titled, 4
rakhan."'
"After that program, we reali;
political interface of the Musi
_?- ?Griggs saftf7-"Tftis~program wo
gram."
Because similar dialogues havi
jor cities across the country, G
gram is a historic step.
"America is considered a Chr
secular nation that has Christian
have little knowledge of Muslim
help us to have a clear understa
Griggs promises that the prog
of either religion, but will, instea
hopes will become an organizati
day problems.
"Many of the ministers locall
attitude when it comes to politi
. - Griggs. "And, similarly^many \
probiems , i>ut Hwe aren't tiomg^
Griggs said the organization,
simply deal with voter registrati
of candidates, but will focus on
"I hope, if something does e^
attending to more and more o
clinics (and) emergency food d
people turn to Crisis Control," 1
Christians are sensitive from a t
ding to the needs of the unfortur
translated."
In addition, Griggs said, th
monitor and raise moral questic
"People are beginning to beli<
a political arena is forbidden," s
ed that with separation of churcl
versus politics.
"Now, the only groups rais
racist and ultraconservative.
dialogue is to raise those moral
social and political life.
4 i T? ^ 1 /\m ^ riirl r 1
rur a iuiijj unit, saiu vjh
those ultraconservative racists,
wrong with me, because I agree<
saying."
While the program will be
Griggs said, he expects that you
morality, as well as social and p<
forums and ultimately help s
organization.
IIIIIIIHIHIMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIItllltlMHIIIIMIIIhMIIIIIIUIIHI
ver church im
iiiiiiiiiiaiiiiiiiiiiutiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiaiiii!
said of a hypothetical story, "and
it would behoove me to stay away
from it, but it makes good
copy."
And sometimes reporters
should just avoid the story
altogether because of .the
possibility of a libel suit, he said.
A Matter Of Public Record
To Eversley, however, those
criteria only tend to sensationalize
religion coverage. Jusj
because a church or its pastor is
accused in a legal document
available for public inspection,
that doesn't mean the media
should cover it in depth, he said.
Some incidents simply should
be confined to the "crime
blotter" unless convictions are
handed down, he said.
"I don't think if you wait until
the outcome of trials that you can
be accused of a whitewash,"
Eversley said. "At that point, it
might become a story of valid interest."
I
Cecile Holmes-White, religion
writer for The Greensboro News
& Record, sees church matters in
a broader context than whether
or not they appear in legal
documents and public records.
Her job as a full-time religion
reporter requires her to delve actively
into churches' teachings
and their involvement in the surrounding
community.
And, because her newspaper
has the resources to provide daily
coverage of religious issues and
activities, Holmes-White is expected
to write a lot of copy ?
more than she could write if she
confined her work to the public
record.
She . says church business
becomes a matter of oublic in
terest when it involves the public
record, when a congregation puts
itself in the public limelight and
when it concerns issues already a
matter of public discussion ?
such as abortion, school prayer
i
tians
iiiiiiiiiiimiimiimiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiimtiiiiiiiiMiiiiiiiii
m is to try to build or cement relaities,"
said Khalid Abdul-Fattah
: Institute for Islamic Studies,
forums resulted from a similar
'Malcolm, Martin, Jesse and Farzed
a need to have more social and
im and Christian communities,"
uld be an-outgrowth of that proe
not taken place in any other mairiggs
said, Winston-Salem's proistian
nation, but I believe this is a
s in it," said Griggs. "Most people
s except the basic beliefs. This will
nding of each other."
rams will not be a critical analysis
id, serve as a beginning for what he
on to help local people with everyy
and nationally have a hands-off
cal and social involvement," said
luslims are uninvolved, We see the
mytkmg^bout ''
if support for it is shown, will not
on projects or make endorsements
man's everyday needs.
^olve, that it would be focused on
f the everyday needs, like health
istribution, as opposed to having
le said. "Oftentimes, Muslims and
heological perspective about attenuate,
but on a practical level it's not
e group will serve as a body to
>ns to politicians.
eve that to raise moral questions in
aid Griggs. "But they have confus
i and state. The issue is not religion
ing moral issues are reactionary,
The purpose of the forum and
issues and put morality back into
ggs, "when I listened to some of
I had to question if something was
J with some of the things they were
geared to all of Winston-Salem,
ng, professional people looking for
olitical involvement, will attend the
hape a formal Muslim-Christian
ltters? f
IIHIIIItMlttlMIIHMIMMIMMHUIIUIMIIHtlltllilMMMIIIIUI
and nuclear warfare.
"It becomes public business
when it becomes involved in the
court system or anything involving
legal charges or when there is
police involvement," she said.
"The only other time a
church's business becomes public
is when a church or its pastor
enters public arena, such as
organizing a voter registration
drive or endorsing political candidates."
Church business occasionally
becomes highly publicized
because church members
themselves feel compelled to bring
it to the public's attention.
Such action often is either the
result or cause of a split in the
congregation's ranks.
Although some church
members might regard this as
washing dirty linen in public,
others might see it as justified
"whistle-blowing" to end abuses
or corruption in the church ?
depending on the specific incident.
"Anytime there's a split between
the church, it's up for
grabs," said Hobinson, adding
that fair coverage with comment
from both sides is essential.
In those situations, Robinson
said, he tries to ensure that persons
making charges or bringing
forth damaging information are
responsible individuals.
"It's a complex problem and
you have to be very careful to
quote a respectable church
leader, not a hell-raiser," he said.
Each Case Is Different
Even then, Holmes-White said
she would have to judge such
potential stories on their individual
merits. Individual circumstances
play a large role in
her determination of whether a
church story is worthy of
# 1
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Th<
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iMIIlllllllUltliiMllltlUMIMMIIIiMIMftlMMMMMMIMIMIM # TNI
coverage ? such a great role, in
fact, that she said she has no
specific policy for drawing the I :
line between private church mat- ^9
ters and public interests. C- 1 A
If the police or courts were in- I ? ,
volved, her newspaper probably I ^ I
would assign a court or police
reporter to the story, she said, 1 ijBM
although she added that she has I |{r"T"
cooperated with other reporters I |L X.
on the News A Record staff in I | I
preparing such stories in the past.
In the recent case where E!>j5B
members of a divided congrega- I,
tion alerted the Chronicle to their l:
pastor's one conviction for driv'
Please see page A11
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3 Chronicle, Thursday, September 27, 1984-Page A3
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