Startled media observers believe that a sudden and intense religious revival may be sweeping through the Boston Globe newsroom. Evidence shows a complete turn-about in The Globe’s reporting of meetings between clergymen and high state officials.
In a startling reversal, the Boston Globe yesterday published an account (ominously entitled "Answered Prayer") of a church meeting between the Massachusetts governor-elect and a large number of Christian activists and clergymen, some of whom even reportedly oppose same-sex marriage.
Yet in a major departure from their past reporting on the religious inclinations of Massachusetts governors, the Globe’s account is as full of praise as the choir loft. The Globe article also whitewashed over a lack of diversity among those at the meeting. Without skepticism or any note of an impending threat to separation of church and state, Globe reporter Michael Paulsen detailed events that in the recent past would have provoked the Globe newsroom to cynicism or multi-part special reports. But today these behaviors are reported by the newsroom as a blessing. Examples:
They sang. They prayed. They danced at their seats, and they shouted to heaven… "We are here to celebrate the election of one of our own," [said] Bishop Gilbert Thompson… the ministers gathered around the governor-elect, and, eyes closed and heads bowed, placed their hands on his shoulders, a symbolic laying on of hands with which the clergy called on God to bless and strengthen him... "Divine providence has brought you to this point and to this time." [said one Baptist pastor]
The Globe also reports that Governor elect replied in kind:
Patrick explained his faith in explicitly religious language… "I'm going to make mistakes, because even after all the nice things said, I'm still a broken and frail human being," he said. "There is only one perfect example, and that's the one in whose sanctuary we stand right now."
Article comments
1 - handyguy
Why is Harry Forbes so relentlessly obsessed with the Boston Globe? Is it really such an interesting subject? One could hardly be surprised that a liberal city has a newspaper with a liberal viewpoint. Big deal. Just read the Herald, if you must.
2 - Harry
A fair question.
My obsession (to use your word) or hobby (to use mine) is to blog about the Globe. I've maintained a blog about the Globe for a couple of years, and find that blogging is a far more satisfying response than merely writing letters to the editor that normally end up in the bit bucket.