As I wrote earlier today, how Sarah Palin's devout Pentecostal faith colors her views on complex policy problems such as Iraq or climate change is a relevant question that journalists should be asking.
Yet as a Pew analysis released this week finds, although Palin has dominated campaign coverage since the GOP convention (top), few if any stories in the mainstream media have examined the relevancy of her religious faith (bottom). The exception, as Pew observes, is the Evangelical media, which have triumphantly celebrated one of their own ascending to a place on the GOP ticket.
For example, according to Pew, in a cover article at the World Magazine, reporter Mark Bergin observed favorably that:
"In many ways, Palin's faith and political philosophy developed in concert. Her small-government commitment, perhaps even libertarian streak, stems from belief in personal responsibility. Her pro-life views flow from a conviction that all of humanity possesses dignity and equal value no matter how small or frail. She has expressed support for teaching alternative theories of origins alongside Darwinism in public-school classrooms, especially theories that allow for a creator."
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Here's the most comprehensive page of information on Sarah Palin on the Internet ... including videos of her saying her proposed $30 billion pipeline is the will of God, her saying a month ago she doesnt know what the vice-president does, and her recently praising the biggest pork barrel spender in Congress Ted Stevens -
http://dailysource.org/palin
It has in-depth research, audio clips, videos, excerpts, and links to hundreds of articles, including many from newspapers and TV stations in Alaska. It has rare footage, including her telling the 08 convention of the Alaska Independence Party, whose aim is to give Alaska a vote on seceding from the U.S., to keep up the good work. The level of research is unparalled. The sites editors and volunteers include an Emmy-award winning CNN reporter, the former operating editor of the Monitors web site, the former head of NPRs News Blog and the Executive Director of the Online News Association -
http://dailysource.org/about/team
I think the mainstream press so poorly represents religion, that I am not surprised that they blow past how Palin's religious faith influences her political stands. Amy Sullivan, Steve Waldman and E. J. Dionne seem to be able to handle religion and politics, but they are rarities among journalists and Dionne and Sullivan are looking more at Catholics, who differ from Palin-style Pentecostals, not least when it comes to religion and science issues.
The sad part is, without understanding people like Sarah Palin, and the voters who identify with her, a big part of the electorate is just written off as unreasonable or incomprehensible or unreachable.