2019 RNA Annual Conference

Please join us for the crowning event of our annual conference, where we honor the winners of the 2019 RNA Awards for Religion Reporting Excellence. Our emcee for the evening is RNA Contest Chairman and Board Member Jeff Diamant. This event is sponsored by Family Theater Productions (Pray) and Music Box Films (Grace of God).

Gun violence, hate crimes and natural disasters devastate communities. They also create difficult assignments for religion reporters. This panel will explore how to respectfully cover a horrific event and how to take care of yourself in the process. Moderator: Holly Meyer Speakers: Jennifer Berry Hawes, Jamie Aten, Yonat Shimron, Peter Smith

Religion reports may be familiar with Twitter and Facebook to meet new sources and engage discourse on religion. However, Reddit, Instagram and even Tic-Toc are among other platforms that are being used more often by religious people. Along with detailing these lesser-known forums, this panel will discuss social media etiquette and how reporters should engage with online religious communities. Moderator: Liam Adams Speakers: Sophia Smith Galer, Chrissy Stroop, Aysha Khan

Faith groups are front and center across the abortion issue, with some pushing to curtail abortion rights and others urging courts and legislatures to protect women's right to an abortion. As states pass six-week abortion bans, each side says they are morally called to their beliefs. In this panel, we'll sort through some of the myriad religious viewpoints and how they're poised to impact the future of abortion in the United States. Moderator: Danae King Speakers: Rabbi Hara Person, Father Frank Pavone, Elaina Ramsey

This panel will feature photographers and videographers discussing how to find the right visuals for your story. They will address the unique challenges of working in sacred spaces and offer tips for reporters who are asked to take their own photos. Moderator: Liz Kineke Speakers: Andrew Rush, Audrey Galex, David Gladstone

Under the right-wing government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has seen a rise in Hindu nationalism and an increased targeting of religious minorities. This panel will examine what is Hindu nationalism, whether and how it is supported through groups in the United States and why nuanced reporting matters. Moderator: Deepa Bharath Speakers: Sonia Paul, Kalpana Jain, Amit Pal

“I have another name for what they’re terming whistleblowers, and that’s righteous heroes…And thank goodness for them.” No religion is exempt from assault and scandal, and none is exempt from those willing to step up and speak out against that wrongdoing. This panel will bring together men and women in different faiths who have chosen to risk family, community and profession to call out a misuse and abuse of religious power against them or others. This panel will address how those in power, in many situations, still remain in power even after being exposed. We will discuss why and how these whistleblowers reached their ultimate decision to speak out and ultimately ask themselves the question: “Whose law do I abide by — man or the divine?” Moderator: Dina Zingaro Speakers: Manny Vega, Siobhan O'Connor, Lyvonne Proverbs, Trudy Metzger

New York Times correspondent Rukmini Callimachi, one of the world’s leading reporters on religious extremism, joins religion historian R. Scott Appleby of the University of Notre Dame to consider how faith is represented in the media and how it might be reexamined, especially in connection to peace and conflict. Sponsored by the Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion at Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs. Speakers: Rukmini Callimachi, Scott Appleby

Drug policy is changing nationwide, as states legalize medical or recreational marijuana, cities vote on psilocybin use and leaders reconsider penalties for those caught with illegal substances. This panel will address how faith groups are responding to these shifts and what future changes to expect in the next few years. Moderator: Kelsey Dallas Speakers: Natalie Gillespie, Marty Stephens, Peter Droege, Emmett Reistroffer

There was a time when houses of worship were considered safe spaces, sanctuaries that offered refuge and welcomed strangers. But several recent attacks at churches, Sikh temples, mosques and synagogues have left people of faith wondering how safe their sanctuaries are. This panel will explore the conundrum of protecting congregants while maintaining the sanctity of these sacred spaces. Moderator: Deepa Bharath Speakers: Pardeep Singh Kaleka, Rev. Mark Whitlock, Capt. Sasha Larkin

American Millennials are decidedly less religious than older generations, with more than one third selecting “No religion” on recent polls. Yet some Millennials have found new ways to embrace forms of spirituality that connect the human spirit in soulful ways outside the walls of houses of worship — in fitness studios, mindful meditation retreats, civic engagement, or theology debates over microbrews. Others are cultivating interfaith experiences during college in and their young professional lives that inform their social and political views of faith communities. This panel seeks to examine how Millennials are living out their religious and spiritual lives, and ways to measure these emerging trends. This panel with produced in collaboration with The Fetzer Institute. Moderator: Emma Green Speakers: Paul Raushenbush • Veronica Selzler • Alan Cooperman

Opinion writing plays an important role in the media and religion ecosystem. From Religion News Service's diverse roster of columnists to religion reporters at major newspapers penning the occasional editorial or news analysis piece, opinion journalism on the God beat takes many forms. This panel will center the experiences of RNA reporters and editors to expose the opportunities, benefits and pitfalls of opinion writing. Moderator: Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons Speakers: Cathleen Falsani, Jana Riess, Jacob Lupfer, Simran Jeet Singh

This working lunch for journalists aims to explore two questions: 1) How are Millennials engaging in new forms of storytelling surrounding faith and spirituality? and 2) What resources and examples for Millennial spirituality coverage can journalists use in their own reporting? This program was produced in collaboration with The Fetzer Institute. Speakers: Emily McFarlan Miller, Andrew Henry

What do the Bible and other religious texts say about the notion of hospitality or “welcoming strangers?” This panel takes a look at how sacred texts in various faith traditions have played a role in the immigration debate, and how different sides have used or weaponized religious texts and teachings to support their opinions on immigration, particularly when it comes to how refugees and asylum-seekers are treated. Moderator: Dave Schechter Speakers: Nahla Kayali, Mark Tooley, Mark Hetfield

This panel will focus on Christian Nationalism's recent upsurge, including the Trump administration's role in potentially aiding and abetting the movement. Moderator: Amit Pal Speakers: Andrew L. Seidel, Jack Jenkins, Katherine Stewart

“What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” is the catchphrase description of a city that is home to a variety of lifestyles unlike most other places in the United States. It’s not just the notorious ones, such as the gambling tourists. There are also large immigrant populations, who flock to the city for cheap living and good-paying jobs, for example. This panel will explore the ways that religious communities minister to the city’s diverse population, either within their houses of worship, or on the Strip itself. Moderator: Adelle Banks Speakers: J B Myers, Imam Fateen Seifullah, Rabbi Sanford Akselrad, Annie Lobert

Christianity and capitalism are deeply intertwined in the United States, but there's far more than just the prosperity gospel when it comes to religion in politics and economics, and not all socialists are atheists. This panel will explore the history of religion on the left, particularly in the context of socialism and movements for economic justice. Panelists will also cover contemporary labor and economic justice movements, highlighting stories that the press has overlooked and areas where media coverage can be strengthened. Moderator: Stephanie Russell-Kraft Speakers: Rev. Andrew Wilkes, Betty Hung, Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis

From tropes and dog whistles to violence in our nation’s synagogues and abroad, what is new about the oldest hatred? Experts talk about how to recognize antisemitism in religious, political and communal settings. They will discuss efforts to fight the latest scourge and what the U.S. and other countries can learn from Europe. Moderator: Manya Brachear Pashman Speakers: Rabbi Andrew Baker, Rabbi Noam Marans, Julie Rayman Sponsored by American Jewish Committee.