Did you feel the earth move under your feet?
That was a pretty big announcement today from Religion News Service, The Associated Press and The Conversation, right?
In case you somehow missed the 9.5-magnitude quake that shook the Godbeat world, the creation of the Global Religion Journalism Initiative — long a topic of speculation — was confirmed in a news release that noted:
The initiative is funded by an 18-month, $4.9 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to RNF (Religion News Foundation). It is one of the largest investments in religion journalism in decades.
What does the grant mean in terms of actual journalists landing gigs?
Check this out:
Through the initiative, AP will add eight religion journalists; RNS will add three religion journalists; and The Conversation will add two religion editors. Additional business staff will also be hired across the organizations.
The reaction on Twitter was swift and enthusiastic, and rightly so:
This exciting initiative creates 13 new religion reporting positions. Congratulations to @ReligionNewsFdn and the grant’s partners, @RNS, @AP and @ConversationUS for bringing the project to fruition. We look forward to all the possibilities this beat expansion brings. https://t.co/CTmKyC43JI
— Religion News Association (@ReligionReport) April 24, 2019
This is so great: The Global Religion Journalism Initiative grant is a huge investment in good religion journalism, allowing @RNS, @AP, and @ConversationUS to hire more religion reporters. https://t.co/k0eI5fJhRX
— Laura Turner (@lkoturner) April 24, 2019
When @RNS and @AP team up together to cover religion, you know good things are gonna happen.
Congrats to @bobsmietana and the rest of the stellar @RNS teamhttps://t.co/QZZr0Saepj
— Kevin Eckstrom (@KevinEckstrom) April 24, 2019
Religion journalism is critical yet always at risk of undersourcing, so this is *great* news! Congratulations to all at @RNS, @AP, & @ConversationUS for this grant! Can’t wait to see what develops. https://t.co/kjacScH52N
— Marie Griffith (@RMarieGriffith) April 24, 2019
This is amazing. Could be truly helpful in understanding the large role that faith plays in events from personal to international https://t.co/j6AJk2BG4f @RNS @AP
— Kelley Mathews (@KelleyMMathews) April 24, 2019
Excited to finally be able to share this news: @AP, @RNS and @ConversationUS will be working together to expand journalism of religion, ethics, and spirituality all over the world, thanks to a grant from the Lilly Endowment. https://t.co/c9h3LrS8nD
— Lucy Sun (@lucyasun) April 24, 2019
Such good news for the religion newswriting world in general, but fantastic for @RNS, @ConversationUS, and @AP in particular! https://t.co/TgEkfIjRIZ
— Ken Chitwood (@kchitwood) April 24, 2019
HUGE news — $5 million grant to seriously expand global religion journalism. @AP @RNS @ConversationEDU will hire 13 new religion journalists https://t.co/PWc81TGTEl
— Michelle Boorstein (@mboorstein) April 24, 2019
Big News. We’re about to launch a major religion journalism project. It’s a partnership between @RNS @AP @ConversationUS and will be awesome.
https://t.co/XeG1Sp0AdV— Bob Smietana (@bobsmietana) April 24, 2019
Great news for the beat “AP will add eight religion journalists; RNS will add three religion journalists; and The Conversation will add two editors” https://t.co/dh2OWiahWP
— Liz Kineke (@lizkineke) April 24, 2019
The Religion News Foundation, @RNS, @AP and @ConversationUS just announced the biggest religion news initiative in years. In a time when religion beat writers are a rarity, they’ll be hiring 13 new reporters and editors 🎉 https://t.co/rVW7M6rmnX
— Jaweed Kaleem 🦅 (@jaweedkaleem) April 24, 2019
This is very exciting news for those of us who cover religion.https://t.co/LZR0fwLLhW
— Kaya Oakes (@kayaoakes) April 24, 2019
“Through the initiative, AP will add eight religion journalists; RNS will add three religion journalists; and The Conversation will add two religion editors.” Such amazing news for the field:https://t.co/0kFiPQI5IN
— Emma Green (@emmaogreen) April 24, 2019
Yes, it’s an amazing, fantastic and (insert your preferred adjective) development for producers and consumers of religion news. As a former Associated Press newsman and a current RNS freelance correspondent, I can’t wait to witness the collaboration between those two esteemed news organizations. I’m eager to see whom the AP and RNS hire to fill those roles — here’s hoping that the grant will allow both to tap into the best and brightest talent in the field.
Meanwhile, not only will the initiative increase the number of religion journalists and amount of religion news produced, but — as I understand it — it’ll also dramatically expand the exposure of RNS stories. RNS stories will now go to every newspaper that subscribes to the AP wire. That is — to call upon another superlative — HUGE.
Of course, there are questions, too.
Some of those discussed by your friendly GetReligionistas in an email thread today:
* What happens in 18 months? Will the 13 reporters and editors hired still have jobs in a year and a half? If there’s a possibility they won’t, will that affect who goes for the gigs?
* Where will the positions be based? Will they all be in places such as Washington, D.C., and New York City? Will they all be in the U.S.? Will they be strategically placed across the U.S. and even around the world?
* Who will run the overall operation? Will there be a single person in charge of the initiative? Where will that person be based? To whom will that person report?
* What will be the breakdown between news and opinions? Will the initiative primarily support news reporting? Or will analysis and opinion writing be a major part of the emphasis?
The news release does say:
Each organization retains editorial control of its respective content, which will be clearly labeled and distributed by AP. RNS opinion content will be available to AP member news organizations and customers, though it will not appear on the AP wire.
Your turn, GetReligion reader: What is your reaction to this big news? What questions do you have? What journalists would you recommend that AP and RNS consider hiring? (I mention them and not The Conversation because I’m thinking more in terms of news coverage, and The Conversation has a different focus.)
By all means, comment below or tweet us at @GetReligion.
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