How We Gather News And Partner Content
How does Religion Unplugged gather news?
Religion Unplugged is committed to transparent, ethical and rigorous journalism about faith and public life. The following explains how we gather news, uphold editorial standards and work with partners to deliver accurate and fair content from around the world.
We have a large network of freelance reporters around the world. Before we agree to publish a new reporter’s original work, we verify that they are real people through a variety of identification checks. We often first meet reporters in person through The Media Project’s training programs. Reporters are often seasoned journalists with extensive experience at news outlets in their home countries.
Reporters interview subjects to learn about issues facing religious communities across the globe. They may use peer-reviewed research studies or other academic resources to supplement their work. Reporters typically interview subjects in person, over the phone or via teleconferencing platforms like Zoom. Sometimes, they send interview questions via email. Reporters are asked to maintain their interview notes for fact-checking purposes.
What are Religion Unplugged’s editorial standards?
All reporters are required to follow the Society of Professional Journalists’ ethics standards, which include, among dozens of other standards, avoiding conflicts of interest; refusing bribes, favors or gifts and verifying information before reporting it.
Freelance reporters may use AI for initial research, as they would with a typical search engine, but they are prohibited from using AI to draft articles or produce audio or visual content.
What is partner content?
We also publish partner content. All facts presented in partner content must be independently verifiable and contribute to Religion Unplugged’s mission to disseminate fair and true stories about faith in public life and in people’s lives.
In some cases, partners may be partially or totally funded by religious institutions or groups. While their content may lean toward favorable coverage of their denomination, it still undergoes our typical fact-checking process. Partner content will always be prominently labeled. Below, we’ve provided a list of our most-published partners. Most partners provide their content for free as part of their non-profit newsroom model.
What is the difference between news, opinion, analysis and reviews?
News is information about current or noteworthy events. It provides basic information about an issue, event, person, trend or development. It seeks to explain all sides of an issue without bias. Our reporters often write news in a feature story format, which gives the reader a broader context for the new development, or profiles of people, groups or organizations who are actively impacted or working on the issue at hand.
An opinion article is a writer’s take on a current issue. All of the writer’s claims must still be factual, but instead of trying to capture all sides of an issue, the writer aims to persuade readers to agree with them or shift their perspective.
An analysis piece is a mix of news and opinion. The writer seeks to provide comprehensive information, but does so with a slant. Analysis pieces seek to explain the reasons behind trends or events, and writers are often experts uniquely qualified to interpret data, events, and history for a general audience.
Reviews of books, movies, art installations and other creative works fundamentally help the reader answer the question: “Do I want to read/watch/attend this book/movie/exhibit?” It also helps provide context to a creative work’s unique cultural moment and critiques artistry, technique, and storytelling methods.
How does a news organization become a partner?
If you are part of an organization that publishes regular news articles or opinion pieces under a Creative Commons license and allows your content to be published free of charge, contact info@themediaproject.org with the subject line “Partnership” for consideration. We only publish articles with a strong religious angle or theme, and all information is subject to our fact-checking process. We typically do not pay for partner content.
Who are your current partners?
Baptist Press
Baptist Press is operated by the Southern Baptist Convention, an evangelical protestant denomination and the largest denomination in America. It creates press releases for and about Southern Baptists and operates the denomination’s media office, which engages with external journalists. It provides news from a Baptist perspective, often positively featuring Baptist people or organizations, to other outlets that choose to run its content. An opinion article is a writer’s take on a current issue. All of the writer’s claims must still be factual, but instead of trying to capture all sides of an issue, the writer aims to persuade readers to agree with them or shift their perspective.
The Christian Chronicle
The Christian Chronicle is an international newspaper aimed at informing and supporting congregants of the Churches of Christ worldwide. Churches of Christ, loosely connected autonomous congregations, have an estimated 1 million members in the U.S. and an untold number internationally. Christian Chronicle articles often feature impactful church members, affiliated institutions and issues important to the congregants. Religion Unplugged columnist and weekly “Plugged-in” columnist Bobby Ross Jr. is also the Editor-in-Chief of the Christian Chronicle.
The Conversation
The Conversation is “a nonprofit, independent news organization dedicated to unlocking the knowledge of experts for the public good.” It publishes articles by academic experts and is edited by journalists. It shares researchers’ “expertise in policy, science, health, economics, education, history, ethics and most every subject studied in colleges and universities.” Numerous universities contribute content and financially support their work. They published a full list of donors and explained more in their editorial charter on their website.
Egab
Egab is a platform that helps reporters in Africa and the Middle East publish stories in international media outlets. Egab provides some mentorship and helps facilitate payments. Reporters who are part of the Egab collective will occasionally pitch relevant stories to Religion Unplugged.
FāVS News
Washington-based FaVS News covers religion, news, and ethics in the Northwest United States. FāVS is not affiliated with any religious organization or denomination. It maintains a “firewall” between donors and editorial decisions.
The Forward
The Forward is “America’s leading voice in Jewish journalism, delivering incisive coverage of the issues, ideas and institutions that matter to American Jews.” The digital publication covers Jewish opinion, arts and culture, as well as world and national news through an “independent, non-ideological perspective.” The Forward accepts donations, but keeps its news coverage decisions “entirely separate from sources of revenue.”
Lifeway Research
Lifeway Christian Resources is an arm of the Southern Baptist Convention. The research team conducts custom and public-facing research, and according to its website, has “conducted studies for dozens of ministries and more than 20 denominations.” They aim to provide relevant research to help church leaders guide conversations about modern culture within their congregations. Beyond their data insights and “fast facts” offerings, the organization also publishes articles with tips to help churches thrive.
Newsreel Asia
Newsreel Asia, focusing primarily on India, produces video content, news briefings and commentaries with the aim to put “people’s wellbeing at the centre of public discourse.” Their editorial decisions are “made without favor, ideological influence or political pressure.” Newsreel Asia provides some technical support to Religion Unplugged’s YouTube channel and podcasts. Religion Unplugged will also occasionally publish some original videos from Newsreel Asia.
MinistryWatch
MinistryWatch does “original investigative journalism that exposes waste, fraud, and abuse among Christian ministries,” and maintains a large database of ministries in the U.S. to help donors make better informed decisions. Institutions they have investigated include Liberty University, Kanakuk Kamps, and Ravi Zacharias International Ministries. The organization also highlights positive stories in the ministry world of organizations that are fiscally responsible and ethical.
ProPublica
ProPublica is a non-profit investigative newsroom that often publishes articles in collaboration with local news outlets. “We are committed to uncovering the truth, no matter how long it takes or how much it costs, and we practice transparent financial reporting so donors know how their dollars are spent.” When ProPublica’s reporting spotlights a religious figure or institution, Religion Unplugged may re-publish it on our website. ProPublica investigations have exposed child abuse at a Minnesota church, misinformation campaigns deceiving Catholic parishioners, and more.
The Roys Report
Led by investigative journalist Julia Roys, The Roys Report is “an independent Christian media outlet exposing corruption, abuse, and what’s been termed the ‘evangelical industrial complex’.” The team has published numerous investigations into prominent personalities and organizations, including Harvest Bible Chapel, Hillsong and John MacArthur. It is supported by donations and revenue from its annual conference.