Choose your superlative, but The Atlantic’s deep dive on Islamic State radicalization is a must read
By Bobby Ross Jr. | GetReligion
The Twitterverse has spoken: Emma Green’s in-depth Atlantic piece detailing “How Two Mississippi College Students Fell in Love and Decided to Join a Terrorist Group” is “amazing journalism.”
It’s “complex & fascinating.” It’s “phenomenal reporting … highlighting the amazing work FBI does to fight online radicalization.” It’s a “must read.”
As Tony the Tiger might say, it’s grrrrreat!
What can I add to all of the above?
Not a whole lot, except for this: Amen!
The story hooks the reader from the beginning as it describes the couple’s plans to travel to Turkey and then Syria. At the end of the first section comes the kicker — the sudden twist around which the rest of this magnificent, heartbreaking story revolves.
The reporting is deep and nuanced — enhanced by crucial interviews with friends and relatives and close inspections of court records and federal investigators’ practices.
Green, a Godbeat specialist, blends a religion writer’s sensitivity to the complexities of faith with an investigative reporter’s dedication to pulling back every layer of the onion to uncover the truth.
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All of my GetReligion columns (May 2017):
April 28, 2017: a day to remember for the Ross family #blessed
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bobby Ross Jr. (@bobbyrossjr) View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bobby Ross Jr. (@bobbyrossjr) https://www.instagram.com/p/BTcAPpOF-sH/ View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bobby Ross Jr. (@bobbyrossjr) View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bobby Ross Jr. (@bobbyrossjr) View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bobby Ross Jr. … Continue reading April 28, 2017: a day to remember for the Ross family #blessed
Trump coverage wins first-place SPJ award for election reporting
My stories on Donald Trump and other Republican candidates campaigning in Oklahoma City last year earned a first-place award for election reporting. I received the honor in the Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalists’ 2017 contest. The winning package included the main story “In the GOP primaries, do politics Trump values and character?” along with a column “GOP presidential politics, professional wrestling style” and a related story “Elephant in the pews: Is the … Continue reading Trump coverage wins first-place SPJ award for election reporting
Faith helped baseball coach Tony Beasley beat cancer
Texas Rangers’ ‘inspiration’ sings the national anthem on Opening Day. By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Religion News Service ARLINGTON, Texas (RNS) Tony Beasley never lost faith, even when he was diagnosed with cancer. “It’s been an opportunity for me to be who I said I am,” said Beasley, the third base coach for the Texas Rangers. “My favorite verse is 2 Corinthians 5:7: ‘For we … Continue reading Faith helped baseball coach Tony Beasley beat cancer
In Canada, refugees find love and hope
For these Syrians, church members have become ‘a second family.’ First Place, Feature Article, Associated Church Press Second Place, Best Reporter portfolio, Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalists By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle ST. CATHARINES, Ontario — Ten-year-old Mohammed and his sister Miriam, 6, shriek with excitement when they hear knocking at the front door. The pint-sized Syrian refugees are expecting Jori Warren, … Continue reading In Canada, refugees find love and hope
From ‘van man’ to man of God: Quirky Detroit Tigers pitcher Daniel Norris
By Bobby Ross Jr. | GetReligion
My three favorite holidays: Thanksgiving. Christmas. Opening Day.
I’m on vacation from my regular job this week and headed — as soon as I can type this post and throw a few baseball shirts and jeans into a suitcase — to Arlington, Texas. My beloved Texas Rangers open the 2017 season at home tonight against the defending American League champion Cleveland Indians.
If you need me, I’ll be Section 115, Row 33, Seat 5.
Given the peanuts-and-Cracker Jacks nature of this Monday, it seems only appropriate that I critique a baseball story — and thanks to my friend Ron Hadfield, an avid Detroit Tigers fan, I’ve got a terrific one to highlight.
“Here’s one Detroit sportswriter unafraid to write about a player’s faith,” Hadfield said in sharing a link to this story.
If you’re a baseball fan and a GetReligion reader (by my rough count, there are three of you), I know what you’re thinking about this ghost-free Detroit Free Press profile of Tigers pitcher Daniel Norris.
And I agree: It’s about time someone in the mainstream press delved into Norris’ faith and took it seriously. We’ve been begging for this since Norris first burst onto the national scene with an in-depth ESPN the Magazine profile two years ago.
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More of my GetReligion columns (April 2017):
Continue reading “From ‘van man’ to man of God: Quirky Detroit Tigers pitcher Daniel Norris”
In rural Canada, churches that once shunned one another open their hearts to Syrian refugees
By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Religion News Service DAUPHIN, Manitoba (RNS) Ken Yakielashek, a Roman Catholic and semiretired farmer in the Canadian Prairies, says he remembers when Christians of varying denominations “wouldn’t talk to one another.” To Yakielashek, that makes what’s happened in Dauphin — a rural community 200 miles northwest of the provincial capital of Winnipeg — all the more remarkable. A year … Continue reading In rural Canada, churches that once shunned one another open their hearts to Syrian refugees
Let the buyer (and leaser) beware
Six tips to keep your church from getting financially burned by copier costs. By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Church Finance Today “Buyer beware” doesn’t just apply to used-car sales. At some point, regardless of size, most churches will find themselves in the market for a copier — and the selection process can be downright complicated and stressful. Whether to lease or purchase? How to … Continue reading Let the buyer (and leaser) beware
‘Everyone Has a Story’: In a digital age, tips for sharing yours
Five questions for leaders of churches, Christian schools and parachurch ministries to consider. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle FORT WORTH, Texas — For 30 years, an Idaho newspaper reporter wrote a weekly column with the simple premise that “Everyone Has a Story.” David Johnson, who retired in 2013, focused on the ordinary lives of people chosen randomly from a phone book. From … Continue reading ‘Everyone Has a Story’: In a digital age, tips for sharing yours
Faith. Family. Fastballs. 