“Why do I never read any positive stories about the church in the media or in my newsfeed? All I seem to read are the negative headlines.”
If I had a pound or a dollar for every time I’ve heard that remark in my decades of communicating about the Church locally and nationally, I’d be a very rich man.
Now – at last – research has been published that shows a more balanced picture of how Christians are reported but also flags up the glaring gaps.
Public relations firm Jersey Road worked with media monitoring agency Agility PR Solutions to identify and collate news articles from UK online media reports relating to Christianity, from December 2023 to November 2024, and then analysed the coverage.
This showed that the negative coverage outweighed the positive, and that ‘traditional’ denominations were given greater coverage than Pentecostal and other church streams.
But there’s a key lesson coming out of the research that caught my experienced eye. It’s that the authors do not moan or whinge about the findings – they set out practical ways that the Church and Christians can improve the coverage they receive.
These include:
Embracing the power of personal faith stories. “Media interest in personal faith presents valuable opportunities for Christian organisations,” say the report’s authors. “Christianity also offers powerful stories of redemption, emotion, surprise and even humour and quirkiness, which all add news value – so there are many opportunities for Christians to change the narrative.”
Christian organisations are encouraged to consider “developing a strategic partnership with public figures who can speak authentically and positively about their faith and Christian causes.”
Helping the media broaden the portrayal of the Church. Churches doing valuable community work are encouraged to “proactively tell their stories, especially when linked to current social issues of public interest.”
Coverage of newer expressions of church – such as a church formed around surfing – or unusual ministries, such as a wrestling pastor can help change perceptions of Church life. These, says the report, “offer opportunities for churches to proactively capture media attention and help reshape public perceptions of Christianity.”
Being aware of risks in public representation. “While media engagement offers visibility, it also carries reputational risks,” is the report’s advice. “It’s important to be aware of these and be wise and thoughtful, even when engaging with the media about stories that seem positive.”
Organisations and churches are encouraged to choose their spokespeople carefully, prepare them properly and be aware of different media’s approach to reporting faith issues.
Leading with integrity and transparency. The media has exposed abuse and institutional failures within churches and Christian organisations, and often these groups respond, say the report’s authors, “with silence, obfuscation or attempted cover-ups.”
Instead, “they should be transparent in addressing abuse, acknowledge past failings with sincerity and take concrete actions to back up public apologies, showing a credible commitment to change.”
The report also sets out ‘recommendations for national journalists,’ including looking beyond traditional streams of church, avoiding pigeon-holing faith leaders into a narrow set of subjects, and finding Christians who hold balanced or mainstream views, rather than seeking out the extremes.
Journalists are also urged not to ignore signs of personal faith shown in the public sphere – such as Premier League footballers who raise their hands in prayer – but to report and explain what they see, and also to give coverage to the millions of Christians facing persecution around the world.
This welcome, pioneering report resonates with my experience dealing with a range of media on behalf of the Church and Christian organisations. But there is also a vital role for the local church and other groups working at the grassroots.
I’d encourage every church to identify someone with specific responsibility to build links with the media – both the legacy ‘local papers’ still functioning and the growing number of independent outlets springing up around the country. Don’t forget the local radio outlets – BBC, commercial and independent – that still win audiences.
Churches are essentially local organisations, so community-based media, including social media networks, should be key parts of our outreach and influence. Otherwise, we’re colluding with the media’s muted coverage of the Church’s major positive impact in society.
National denominations and big Christian organisations can do so much – but motivated local churches, seeking to win coverage on their doorsteps, could help transform how the Church is perceived across the country and beyond. There’s work to be done …
Rev Peter Crumpler is a Church of England minister in St Albans, Herts, and a former communications director with the CofE.
