It’s not religion news per se, but for those interested in the future of American journalism: Poynter.org reported this week on signs pointing to USA Today phasing out its print edition.
Amazing.
But come to think of it, I don’t open those free copies that I receive at hotels as often as I once did.
Anything that affects the health of major American newspapers will, ultimately, affect their ability to cover tricky, complicated subjects like religion. So would changes at USA Today affect Gannett newspapers everywhere, including funding for religion news coverage? This is worth watching.
Anyway, let’s dive into the Friday Five:
1. Religion story of the week: In case you missed my post Thursday, faith was a major part of the life of powerful Congressman Elijah E. Cummings, Democrat of Maryland, who died this week from complications from longstanding health challenges. He was 68.
Some major news organizations — including Cummings’ hometown Baltimore Sun — nailed the religion angle.
However, at least one major national news organization failed to do so.