“Don’t mess with me.”
It’s the soundbite of a busy news day — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s confrontation with a reporter who asked if she hates President Donald Trump.
But as you probably already know, Pelosi pointed to her Catholic faith in the exchange, immediately pushing this political story into the realm of religion news.
Some of the crucial details, via the New York Times:
The flash of anger from Ms. Pelosi — “Don’t mess with me,” she told the reporter — came as she was leaving a news conference in which she had just finished discussing her decision to move forward with articles of impeachment against Mr. Trump.
“Do you hate the president?” James Rosen, a reporter for a conservative television network, asked loudly as Ms. Pelosi made her way offstage in a television studio near the Capitol.
Ms. Pelosi whipped around to face Mr. Rosen, wagging her finger at him and saying, “Don’t accuse me,” as he explained that he was asking her to respond to Republicans’ claims that Democrats were pursuing Mr. Trump’s impeachment out of personal animus against him.
“This is about the Constitution of the United States and the facts that lead to the president’s violation of his oath of office,” the speaker said sharply after returning to the lectern to speak into a microphone and face the still-rolling cameras. “As a Catholic, I resent your using the word ‘hate’ in a sentence that addresses me. I don’t hate anyone.”
“I was raised in a way that is a heart full of love, and always pray for the president,” she continued. “And I still pray for the president. I pray for the president all the time. So don’t mess with me when it comes to words like that.”
In scanning the spot-news coverage today, I was curious to see if journalists would offer any background and context on Pelosi’s faith.
That information certainly seems relevant to the story, right?
Spoiler alert: The Times included Trump’s tweet responding to Pelosi and accusing her of having a nervous fit as well as questioning whether she really prays for him.
Nancy Pelosi just had a nervous fit. She hates that we will soon have 182 great new judges and sooo much more. Stock Market and employment records. She says she “prays for the President.” I don’t believe her, not even close. Help the homeless in your district Nancy. USMCA?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 5, 2019
But a sentence or two on Pelosi’s faith? Nope. That didn’t make it into the story.
Similarly, holy ghosts haunted reports by USA Today, CNBC, The Hill, CNN and the Washington Post.
So, did anybody nail the religion angle? Actually, yes.
The prize goes to The Associated Press:
Pelosi, a native of Baltimore, often speaks of her faith as a guide to matters ranging from legislation to life in general. Catholic catechism states that “deliberate hatred is contrary to charity” and urges believers to pray for those who hold animosity toward them, a teaching that Pelosi has invoked by saying that she prays for Trump.
It’s not the first time she’s confronted the challenging interplay between politics and her faith. In 2009, during the abortion-rights supporter’s previous stint as House speaker, she met with Pope Francis’ predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, for a conversation that the Vatican later said touched on “protecting human life at all stages of its development.”
AP, as we’ve noted here at GetReligion, has boosted its religion staff — including full-time editors focused on the Godbeat — through a big Lilly Endowment grant.
Did one of those editors note the need to include that crucial context in the story? There’s no way to know, unless one of those editors reads this and wants to chime in.
But wouldn’t it be cool if that were the case?
For more insight on the topic of Pelosi’s faith, check out this related column by Religion News Service’s Thomas Reese.
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