Media Studies
Analysis of representations of clergy in the popular media. This study involves content analysis of newspaper, television, and film portrayals of clergy, which will include the number and types of representations; who is included and who is not; what kinds of roles clergy play in these representations; and what the message is that these portrayals send. Dr. Joyce Smith, a specialist in religion and the media and an editor at the Toronto Globe is currently undertaking this project.
Rationale: How the popular media (print and electronic) represent clergy is an important contextual variable in our effort to understand both the state of ordained pastoral leadership and what constitutes good ministry. Much recent coverage of clergy in print media has centered on clergy moral failures. With some notable exceptions in electronic media — e.g., two or three recent television series and films such as The Apostle — clergy are often not portrayed in the media or, when they are, are mostly in supporting or peripheral roles. What are the implications of these portrayals (or lack thereof) for the general public's understanding of the clergy role, for clergy self-esteem, for congregational expectations of their pastors, and for recruitment?
|
|
