It is highly likely, at this point, that most news consumers have heard of the ChatGPT website.
If not, click here to surf through the 56,100,000 reports currently about at Google News about this artificial intelligence (AI) project. Some would prefer to spend several months watching videos on the subject at YouTube. Good luck using the actual ChatGPT site — odds are high that you will have to wait in a long cyber-line to get access.
Journalists are concerned about ChatGPT because it offers a vision of what could be ahead in newsrooms, with computers “reporting” background reports on news events and even trends. And ChatGPT is a big deal in higher education, since it’s highly effective at faking all or significant chunks of term papers. The bot recently passed the U.S. Medical Licensing exams.
I was curious to know what ChatGPT thought about (#DUH) religion-news coverage. The results provided the hook for this week’s “Crossroads” podcast (CLICK HERE to tune that in). For example, I asked: “What does the website GetReligion.org do?” The response:
GetReligion.org is a media criticism blog that focuses on examining the way religion is covered by the mainstream news media. It aims to provide analysis and commentary on news stories that deal with religious topics and to point out instances of inaccurate or biased reporting.
Not bad. That’s part of what we do here. We also provide as many, or more, think pieces, Q&As and memos about topics linked to religion-beat work, care of patriarch Richard Ostling, chart-master Ryan Burge and others. We also, from time to time, praise high-quality reporting from mainstream newsrooms.
Oh, I also confess that I asked ChatGPT about that Terry Mattingly guy and — on my birthday, no less — received a kind report on my work that also (#shudder) implied that I am dead.
Terry Mattingly was an American journalist and religion reporter known for his writing on religion and culture. He was a syndicated columnist and founder of the website "GetReligion", which analyzed religion news coverage in the media. He was known for his insightful and thought-provoking pieces on the intersection of religion and society.
But let’s get down to basics. I also asked ChatGPT this question: “Do mainstream journalists struggle to cover religion news?” The response:
Yes, some mainstream journalists may struggle to cover religion news due to lack of understanding of religious practices and beliefs, fear of offending readers or religious groups, and a lack of resources dedicated to religion reporting. However, there are also journalists who specialize in religion reporting and have a deep understanding and appreciation for the subject.
That’s safe and rather solid. As we will see, the key phrase seems to be “due to lack of understanding of religious practices and beliefs.” Clearly, religion-beat pros need to know tons and tons of basic facts and, this is just as important, they need to know what they don’t know. Hold that thought.
I wanted to know more on this topic, so I pushed a bit deeper, asking: “Why do journalists struggle to cover religion news?” ChatGPT sent me more information, this time. This is long, but let’s work our way through it:
Journalists may struggle to cover religion news for several reasons, such as:
(1) Lack of understanding of religious beliefs, practices and rituals
There’s that same “lack of understanding” language. There have been studies in the past that link shallow or flawed religion-news coverage to a basic lack of information — as opposed to outright bias. Hold that though, as well. Let’s read on:
(2) Fear of offending religious communities and individuals
(3) Pressure from interest groups to portray religion in a certain way
Well now, that’s interesting. I wonder if newsrooms are worry more about the concerns of some interest groups than others? There have been mainstream discussions of that in the past (such as debates about Washington Post coverage of competing marches linked to abortion rights).
Now, this next item is important:
(4) Difficulty in finding sources and gaining access to religious institutions
To be blunt, it is true that many religious leaders — mostly on the conservative side of the doctrinal aisle — have pretty much given up on talking to elite, blue-zip code reporters. Your GetReligionistas have, for nearly 20 years, urged worried religious leaders to go ahead and talk to reporters, with both sides recording the interview so that everyone knows what was said.
Now, brace yourself for this next ChatGPT response:
(5) Balancing objectivity and fairness with the personal beliefs of the journalist
Wait a minute. “Objectivity”? That’s a dangerous word right now, as demonstrated in this Washington Post op-ed by former Post editor Leonard Downie, Jr.: “Newsrooms that move beyond ‘objectivity’ can build trust.” In it, Downie stresses the need for “accuracy, fairness, non-partisanship, accountability and the pursuit of truth” — which sounds rather like the basic skills that, in the classroom, I have linked to that vague term “objectivity.”
But in that same op-ed, Downie adds, concerning recent interviews with current news professionals:
Among the news leaders who … rejected objectivity as a coverage standard was Kathleen Carroll, former executive editor of the Associated Press. “It’s objective by whose standard?” she asked. “That standard seems to be White, educated, fairly wealthy. … And when people don’t feel like they find themselves in news coverage, it’s because they don’t fit that definition.”
More and more journalists of color and younger White reporters, including LGBTQ+ people, in increasingly diverse newsrooms believe that the concept of objectivity has prevented truly accurate reporting informed by their own backgrounds, experiences and points of view.
OK, I will ask: Is the basic idea that “accurate,” and “fair” are terms defined in rather different ways by journalists in different niche-news camps? Hold that thought, too.
I realize that this is getting long, but I was genuinely intrigued with what ChatGPT was coming up with — since the implication is that online debates about these topics were shaping the results.
Thus, I kept asking questions. Let’s walk though some additional responses:
Does media bias affect religion news coverage?
Yes, media bias can affect religion news coverage. Different media outlets may have different perspectives, opinions, and agendas, which can influence their coverage of religious topics. This can result in a skewed or one-sided representation of religious events, beliefs, and practices.
How could newsrooms improve their coverage of religion news?
(1) Diverse hiring: Hire journalists with diverse backgrounds, including religion, to ensure diverse perspectives and experiences are reflected in coverage.
Ah, “diversity” again.
OK, I will ask: What “backgrounds” are rarely found in today’s elite newsrooms? Maybe, blue-collar Americans? Military veterans? Active members of various traditional religious groups?
OK, OK. Let’s head back to that ChatGPT to-do list for better religion-beat work:
(2) Cultural competence: Provide cultural competency training to journalists to help them understand and respectfully cover different religious communities.
(3) Accurate language: Ensure accurate and sensitive use of language when reporting on religion, avoiding stereotypes and avoiding language that may offend or marginalize religious groups.
Yes, but who gets to define “accurate”? Are the leaders of today’s newsrooms truly committed to listening to voices on both sides of hot-button religious, moral and cultural debates? There is no way around this issue:
(4) Seek diverse sources: Make a conscious effort to seek out diverse sources, including religious leaders, scholars, and community members, to provide multiple perspectives.
(5) Avoid oversimplification: Avoid oversimplifying complex religious beliefs and practices, instead providing context and nuance to help the audience understand.
(6) Balance: Maintain balance in coverage, avoiding sensationalism and providing equal representation of different religious perspectives.
Whoa! “Balance”? That is NOT a popular concept in journalism these days. It implies the need to tolerate (maybe even respect) voices of those considered intolerant.
(7) Contextualize: Place religious events, beliefs, and practices within their cultural and historical context.
(8) Be aware of ethical concerns: Be aware of ethical concerns such as not exploiting religious beliefs for sensational purposes, not promoting religious beliefs, and respecting the privacy of religious ceremonies and rituals.
There is much here to ponder. It appears, to me, that there is kind of a “ghost” of the old-school American Model of the Press that lingers in the great digital cloud of information on this topic. Some of those values clearly clash with the new-school journalism found in the Downie essay.
For decades, I have argued that religion-news coverage tends to be biased in four different way. In a lecture to editors in the old Scripps-Howard newspaper chain, I described them as (CLICK HERE for the full lecture summary):
* The bias of space, time and resources. Simply stated: You cannot print a story if you have little space in which to print it, time to write it, or the money to hire a professional to do so. …
* The bias of knowledge. Fact: You cannot write a story if you do not know that it exists. …
* The bias of worldview. Simply stated: It is hard to write a good story if you don't care that it exists. The result is, at best, a blind spot on religious issues, and the people who care about them. …
* The bias of prejudice. It's hard to produce balanced, fair coverage of people you dislike, distrust, or whom you feel are irrelevant.
I have long argued that the key bias is “worldview,” even more than “knowledge.”
After all, why do so many editors pass up opportunities to hire trained, experienced religion-beat professionals? Why do questions about the quality of work on this beat — especially when religion affects politics — linger decade after decade? Yes, why did former New York Times editor Bill Keller say You. Know. What. during that Austin, Texas, forum long ago?
Believe it or not, there is much, much more in the podcast — including a ChatGPT response to a question about the role that religion played in the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Enjoy the podcast and, please, pass it along to others.
FIRST IMAGE: Image featured with this feature at CITIMUZIK.com: “What is ChatGPT, how ChatGPT has effect ICT industries jobs loss, What chatGPT can not do 2023.”