Every now and then, a loyal GetReligion reader sends us a URL to a story and makes a remark like this: “Says it all. Run this.”
When this happens, you can almost always count on the URL being from some alternative source of news and commentary, the kind of advocacy driven site that we don’t pay much attention to — since GetReligion focuses on hard news. Of course, we do run “think pieces” on the weekend linked to religion-news trends that tend to come from all over the place.
In this case, the subject of the piece is a public figure — a popular actress — stating that she has noticed a trend in news coverage about her work, as her star ascends in the Marvel Universe and elsewhere.
It’s super cute when journalists/interviewers for magazines leave out the massive part where I give God the glory for the success/ achievements in my life.
Haha I still love you and God will still be praised 🙏🏾💜
— Letitia Wright (@letitiawright) October 28, 2019
The headline states the thesis: “ ‘Black Panther’ Star: Journalists Censor When ‘I Give God the Glory.’ “ And here is the overture of this piece at the CatholicVote website:
Letitia Wright captivated millions on the big screen as Shuri, the younger sister of T’Challa, or the Black Panther. But, as her career continues skyrocketing, she wants the world to know that her success is not her own; it’s God’s.
If only the media would report on it.
The 26-year-old actress, born in Guyana and raised in London, recently took to Twitter to express frustration over some journalists cutting out her praise for God from interviews.
“It’s super cute when journalists/interviewers for magazines leave out the massive part where I give God the glory for the success/ achievements in my life,” Wright tweeted on October 28. And yet, she added, “I still love you and God will still be praised.”
Her fans agreed.
“[F]avorite actress not just for talent but for the faith in God!!!” exclaimed one follower, while another added, “God sees you sis.” Black-ish actor Miles Brown also chimed in, responding with emojis of hands clapping in applause.
Now, I freely admit that people have been talking about this story, and this tweet, for some time now.
In part, that’s because of this interesting response from Sarah Pulliam Bailey of the Washington Post (a former member of the GetReligion team).
Bailey makes the crucial point here, in terms of journalism — as opposed to public professions of faith that are tacked onto interviews at the beginning or the end (think post-game interviews with sports stars).
👋 friendly journalist here waving to other journalists. When you edit out people’s faith when it’s obvious its core to who they are and what they do, you do a disservice to your readers. It’s like failing to mention age or where they’re from–when it’s relevant, make it clear. https://t.co/vIxbxf3b3b
— Sarah Pulliam Bailey (@spulliam) October 30, 2019
The key, in this case, is that Wright is having trouble getting journalists to understand that her faith is a crucial element of her story as an actress and a professional in the entertainment world. She believes that her faith is a crucial FACT in her decision to do what she does, rather than being in some kind of church-related work.
At the same time, there are issues of mental health and wellness linked to her life story. She believes her faith played a role in her recovery.
Consider this crucial section of the CatholicVote story, focusing on what Wright said in front of cameras at a high-profile event:
“I identify myself as a child of God,” she said on the BAFTA stage in February after accepting the Rising Star Award. “I can’t get up here without thanking God.”
She said she once lived in a “deep state of depression,” and credited God and her family for helping pull her out of it. “I’m still a work in progress,” she stressed, before telling the audience that God could work wonders in them too.
“I just want to encourage you, anybody that’s going through a hard time or something in their soul or they’ve lost their light. I want to encourage you that God made you and you’re important,” she said.
“There might be some of you here that’s going through depression, that’s going through a bad time, and you’re putting on a smile on your face, and nobody can see that,” she continued. “But you know it and God knows it, and I just want to encourage you and I just want to say that God loves you, and just let your light shine.”
So, is this your basic “I want to thank God for my success” remark that viewers hear all the time on awards shows?
I think not. Not key is her references to depression and the role that her faith played in her decision — after dropping out of the entertainment business — to return to acting. She struggled with that decision. So how can reporters write about her life and her “Black Panther” success without mentioning that?
Read Bailey’s tweet again.
When public figures repeatedly — when describing their work and personal life — include factual material about their religious beliefs, how can journalists leave that material on the newsroom floor (so to speak)?
Is the goal to write about Wright’s life or only the parts of her life that journalists feel are acceptable?
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