Promoting Excellence in Broadcasting about Religion, Ethics and Spirituality
When journalists talk about a code of ethics, they are generally referring to a commitment to honesty, balance and fairness in their reporting. Which sounds straightforward enough but in recent years has proven much less so. We live in a time when, to use a phrase made infamous a senior American political aide, many people…
Religion still deserves its place on the airwaves, says ‘Sunday’ host Edward Stourton For more than fifty years, BBC Radio 4’s ‘Sunday’ has examined news and current affairs through the lens of religion. The premise behind the programme being that religion does not exist in a vacuum. Which is to say it’s not isolated in…
Living in the UK, it’s not uncommon for people to consider religion a primarily private concern: a set of ornamental practices or comparmentalised beliefs which affect niche groups of believers. From a wider geographic perspective, however, the impact religion can have on all aspects of society becomes much more clear. Perhaps nowhere is this so…
Every year the Sandford St Martin Awards receive something in the region of 200 entries. Reviewing, carefully considering and, ultimately, identifying the best of those entries falls to a crack team of dedicated shortlisters. Most of them are pretty seasoned media professionals but for the last couple of years we’ve also included someone on each category panel…
At times marked by political or social shock and upheaval the need for good journalism is particularly acute. Good journalists understand that news is often complex and a true understanding or interpretation of what’s going on means digging below the surface story to reveal the layers of motivation and meaning below. Here at the Sandford St Martin…