ACP launches study of the church press 'industry'

The future of church journalism

A position paper for discussion

The Associated Church Press

 

First draft, April, 2010

The Associated Church Press (ACP) Board of Directors, meeting Nov. 20 and 21, 2009, in Chicago, discussed at length the state of the association as well as that of church journalism and church journalists, including our ACP members. This past year has seen the untimely deaths of an unprecedented number of venerable ACP member publications such as the Episcopal Life and United Church News newspapers, DisciplesWorld, Church Herald, and Lutheran Partners magazines, and Vital Theology newsletter. Many other member publications report that substantial budget cuts and other financial pressures are threatening their survival.

The context of the discussion included the realization of vastly changing economic and social conditions, the rapid decline of institutional “mass media,” both church and secular, and the democratization (“disintermediation”) of information dissemination through low-cost, high-reach platforms such as e-zines, blogs, and news Web sites.

The directors raised various questions and issues, all somewhat interconnected, in an attempt to construct a framework for further discussion. They also proposed a position statement as a starting point.  This statement and questions for consideration would lead, we hope, to fostering a healthy future for the ACP, while helping our members and church journalists in general, our readers, and our churches make best use of communications media today.

Proposed position statement:

The mission of the Associated Church Press is to advocate for the role of journalism in the life of religious communities today, with a particular focus on the role journalists play in interpreting and authenticating information in the midst of a mass media trend toward democratizing the creation and consumption of information. The association is also committed to assisting members in discovering and deploying best business and editorial practices in today’s changing world of religious publishing.

Questions for consideration:

  • Do church journalists function as a mirror of their environment, discerning and conveying an accurate account of events, striving for objectivity above all else? Or is our role more rightly that of participatory or advocacy journalism? How can an association assist member publications that serve these different roles?
  • What do we do with the trend within our parent organizations to move church communications from supporting an independent church press to calling on us to perform more of a public relations/marketing/development function?  How widespread is this trend?  How might it affect the mission of the ACP?
  • Do our parent organizations increasingly see publications and communications departments as potential profit centers rather than member-benefit (reader-benefit) expenses and/or ministries? How widespread is this trend?  How might it affect the mission of the ACP?
  • How can the ACP help members and church journalists in general cope with these threats? How can the ACP help its members make the case and successfully advocate for the continuing importance of church journalism?
  • Do our parent organizations have some justification in asking us to show measurable results from our work? If not in profit, then in member growth or retention?
  • How do we deal with the new opportunities and challenges brought on by new social media technologies? In particular, do they involve a loss of professional standards? What is the value of “citizen journalism,” and how do church journalists adapt, or not? Does the ACP “Statement of Ethics and Standards of Professional Practice” need to be updated?
  • How does the ACP retain its identity as a “press” organization, when physical, hard-copy communications are increasingly dwarfed in volume and significance by the flood of online info? Is the term “press” outdated? If so, what other term can capture the journalistic standards and integrity that distinguish ACP?
  • What is the future of online publishing for ACP members? How well are we utilizing new social media tools? What does the ACP need to do to attract more online-only religious media and serve the needs of this growing constituency — both church-affiliated and independent.
  • Is the position statement moving in the right direction as a focus for the ACP given the myriad issues and considerations before us? If so, what would be our next steps?

 

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