Date of Award
Spring 2021
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School
Communication
Committee Chair
Dr. Vanessa Murphree
Committee Chair School
Communication
Committee Member 2
Dr. Christopher Campbell
Committee Member 2 School
Communication
Committee Member 3
Dr. David Davies
Committee Member 3 School
Communication
Committee Member 4
Dr. Cheryl Jenkins
Committee Member 4 School
Communication
Committee Member 5
Dr. Fei Xue
Committee Member 5 School
Communication
Abstract
ABSTRACT
THE RELIGION BEAT GETS BEAT: THE RISE AND FALL OF STAND-ALONE RELIGION SECTIONS IN SOUTHERN NEWSPAPERS, 1983-2015
by Tara Yvette Wren
February 2021
This paper explores the religious news coverage of five southern newspapers in Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Texas. The newspapers researched in this study are among those that published a stand-alone religion section. Newspapers surveyed include – The Clarion-Ledger (Mississippi), The Charlotte Observer (North Carolina), The Dallas Morning News (Texas), The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia), and The Tennessean (Tennessee). The period researched focused on stand-alone religion sections published from the papers mentioned above between 1983 and 2015. This timeframe was when newspapers across the country turned a keener focus toward religion coverage. This study investigates religious perspectives, practices, beliefs, and values of that era. It is also essential because it provides a broad view of how southern newspapers’ focus on religion impacted communities. Each paper was analyzed using different methodologies based on the data availability and accesses and persons available for interviews. This study examines the evolution of each paper’s religion reporting methods, themes, and graphic layouts of the stand-alone sections. This study highlights the historical impact of researched publications and what events influenced their development. It also takes a unique perspective in assessing how each paper used its religion section to harmonize with the public's sentiments at the time.
Copyright
Wren, 2021
Recommended Citation
Wren, Tara Yvette, "The Religion Beat Gets Beat: The Rise and Fall of Stand-alone Religion Sections in Southern Newspapers, 1983-2015" (2021). Dissertations. 1885.
https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/1885