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THE K ING ’S BUS INESS
Newspaper Publicity for By CARL F. H. HENRY Chicago, Illinois B IBLE NARRATIVES are studded with characters who labored more effectively because they obviously recognized p u b l i c i t y val
the Gospel
ciently enlightened to permit Chris tian interpretation treat religion from a news basis. It must be remembered that, if church news is thus treated in the larger papers, it is usually because the newspaper cannot find writers with the necessary spiritual qualifica tions. This is a need to which the church, rather than the papers, ought to respond. Another group deals cautiously with the press because it fears misrepre sentation. No doubt ministers have been misquoted at times, but certainly not more than other interviewed per sons, and more certainly not delib erately so. The cooperative group in pulpit- press relations familiarizes itself with the newspaper and its problems. It commends what is helpful, and pro tests vigorously, but with constructive criticism, against the harmful. The alert Christian worker in this number realizes that he must key his message to the day’s news—that it must be .timely, important. He has discovered the .newspaper to be a powerful force in getting his message to the public, because American dailies print more religious news, and devote more space to church activities, than the press of any other nation in the world. And spiritual leaders who have learned the language of the news paper and how to employ its re sources—and they alone—have sensed the power of the press for Christ’s work. The church must awaken to the value of publicity methods. There is' no more conservative organization on earth than the church, but when it moves it does so with an impact that must be felt. To that impact the press can lend assistance, and the re sult ma£ well be for the glory of God. Practical Suggestions If a minister or other Christian leader can present himself to an editor as one familiar with newswriting, he will receive ready cooperation and will enlist special interest in his ministry. The larger papers have church editors, and it is necessary to establish and maintain friendly relations with these writers. When you begin publicity, work in your church, find out the name of the city or church editor of your local paper. If it is an afternoon paper, call on the editor not later#than 9:30 a.m.; if a morning paper, see the edi tor between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Call
and the eight-page typewritten orig inal comes to the city desk for pos sible uSe in Monday’s paper. The editor searches vainly for an excuse to run part of the article when he knows (1) a perfectly good story on the Exodus has already been written (Ex. 14:15-3i); (2) the account by Moses, an eyewitness, runs only 530 words in our translations; (3) the Biblical account “scoops” whatever the newspaper might state by a mere matter of some 3,000 years. Therefore, unless the pastor uses his text as a springboard to leap across centuries of time into the midst of our confused and complex world, and unless he lifts meanings from their Scriptural setting arid transplants them into our homes, churches; and cities, the newspaper shows little interest in his sermon. What Christians Think of Newspapers But what of the Christian wooer’s attitude toward publicity? Some men are utterly unaware that the press exists, except for reminders by an in quisitive reporter or an alert city desk.. If the front page carries an item about such a man’s ministry it is not his fault. Another group holds a critical atti tude. The newspaper, it feels, is com mercial, Untrustworthy, without con science. This group asserts that it desecrates the Sabbath and devotes columns to propaganda that promotes hatred among nations and races. A third group, though recognizing the shortcomings of the press when meas ured by Christian ethics, yet realizes that the printed page may be a pow erful weapon for good and therefore cooperates in securing constructive publicity for the news sheet. Of the unaware, little need be said apart from an expression of hope that they will realize the role which type can take in advertising the Christian message. The argument that Chris tianity is a message of divine origin and therefore needs nothing else to commend it, will hardly stand when we emphasize that not only the proph ets and disciples, but also the great spiritual leaders since their time, have been aware of publicity value. No body will argue that Christianity will make its way simply by publicity; the printed page, however, can arrest at tention and provide new hearers for the messenger of God. The hypercritical must be considered more from the standpoint of convic tion. One group has little to do with newspapers because writers not suffi
ues. They all, however, distinguished between the trumpet of gospel news and the horn of self-exploitation. These two extremes are as far apart spirit ually as were Paul, crucified with Christ, and Diotrephes, who loved the preeminence. During the early centuries of the church, publicity must have been mainly by word of mouth* If, however, publication facilities of the twentieth century had been available, undoubt edly the disciples would haye em ployed them. As it was, Paul wrote the Epistles with considerable incon venience and sent them by special messenger to the local churches. The subject of present-day attitudes toward publicity must needs be con sidered from two viewpoints: namely, that of the press and that of the.pulpit The Editor’s Attitude As to the editor’s attitude, it is as serted by many persons that while newspapers were glad in Moody’s day to receive the sermon copy which he sent, past decades have marked a change in attitude toward religious news. The answer to this is that scarcely a newspaper in America will hesitate to print real news, though propaganda is treated differently. During the last fifteen years, how ever, there has been a gradual recog nition by newspapers of the worth of religious news, especially in the wake of the economic crash at the dose of the 20’s, the moral collapse of the 30’s, and the war shadows of the 40’s. There are more full-time church editors than ever on papers with more than 500,000 circulation. The trained editor always remem bers that the newspaper does not exist to verify what already appears in en cyclopedias. Its main burden is news. This attitude the newspaper takes also toward sermons. For example, a min ister delivers a thrilling "account of Israel’s passage through the Red Sea, [C ombining practical newspaper experience w ith a vision o f m aking Christ know n to unsaved m en and women in our modern day, the author o f this article has become widely know n fo r his exploration of new territory in the field o f religious journalism . He is Associate Professor of Theology and Philos ophy at the Northern Baptist Theological Sem inary, Chicago, 111., and the author of tw o , recen t books, A Doorway to Heaven, and Successful Church Publicity.—EDITOR.]
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