Ron Rodgers Authors Book on Historic Influence of Religion on Journalism

Ron Rodgers, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications Journalism associate professor, is the author of The Struggle for the Soul of Journalism: The Pulpit versus the Press, 1833-1923, published by the University of Missouri Press on April 30.

The book examines several narratives involving religion’s historical influence on the news ethic of journalism: its decades-long opposition to the Sunday newspaper as a vehicle of modernity that challenged the tradition of the Sabbath; the parallel attempt to create an advertising-driven Christian daily newspaper; and the ways in which religion – especially the Social Gospel movement – pressured the press to become a moral agent.

John Ferré, professor of communications at the University of Louisville and co-author of Good News: Social Ethics and the Press offered this review: “This may be a book about history, but its concerns are remarkably contemporary. Its central concern is the struggle for journalism that is both trustworthy and important, a concern that resonates with today’s society that urgently needs credible news reporting but that distrusts media more than ever. It should become essential reading for those who want to understand media criticism in the United States.”

Posted: May 3, 2018
Category: College News
Tagged as: Journalism, Ron Rodgers, The Struggle for the Soul of JournalismL The Pulpit versus the Press