Abstract

This chapter avers that the coexistence of journalism and religious practices and institutions on a global landscape can best be understood discerning three societal levels: micro, that is, the journalist as an individual key player in the global realm; meso, that is, the news media as institutional and organizational influencers; and macro, that is, political, economic, cultural and scientific systems. It acknowledges the challenges and transformative influences of journalism in an era in which globalization has an enormous impact on the redefinition of news, on the newsgathering processes, on the environmental and organizational factors that influence those processes. In presenting two case studies that deal with the mutual interactions of religion and journalism, this chapter argues that both are converging and are constructing and shaping the identities of individuals, societies and institutions as interrelated, transnational and global agencies. It notes that journalism’s influence has been paradoxical, whereas religious media are a force for building congregations and for projecting a culture of religious adherences.