Pulitzer Nominee to Discuss Journalism & Religion Nov. 14

WACO, Texas - The Baylor University Department of Journalism will host a conference on "Religion and Journalism" from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 14, in the Barfield Drawing Room of the Bill Daniel Student Center.
The conference will feature Pam Schaeffer, editor and reporter for National Catholic Reporter and three-time Pulitzer Prize nominee; Jimmy Allen of the Freedom Forum; and Fred Barnes, executive editor of The Standard, a weekly public opinion magazine. Schaeffer served 13 years at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch as a religion writer and editor where she earned the Pulitzer nominations. Her diverse background should help the media-religion relationship, said Dr. John Tisdale, conference coordinator.
"She is a rare individual in the fact that she has a Ph.D in historical theology and is a trained journalist with a top reputation," he said. "Her credentials are unmatched."
Allen once served as president of the Southern Baptist Convention and as pastor of First Baptist Church, San Antonio. He co-authored a prize-winning report on the relationship between the media and religion in America called "Bridging the Gap."
Active the field of communications, Allen founded a cable television service called the American Christian Television System. He won an Emmy Award from the American Academy of Arts and Entertainment for best special program in 1988. He also served as a non-governmental observer of the United Nations, and negotiated with the Nation of Israel's leadership on religious propagation.
An active television journalist, Barnes appears regularly on the McLaughlin Group and serves as moderator of "Fox on Politics." Barnes' other television appearances include "Nightline," "Today," "Good Morning America" and "Meet the Press."
Schaeffer, Allen and Barnes will speak at 10 a.m., 1 and 5 p.m. respectively. The conference is open to the public.
For more information, contact Tisdale or Dr. Doug Ferdon, acting chair of journalism, at (254) 710-3261