Religion and Culture
Meeting the challenge of pluralism

Background

Religion has played a pivotal role in American society since the time of the Revolution. The Ford Foundation has funded a diversity of religious scholars and activists, all of whom are experts in how religion influences or is influenced by civic engagement and human rights. Douglas Gould and Company is assisting the Ford Foundation with this project by implementing a communications strategy designed to help amplify the voices of selected grantees in public debates about religion, culture and society.

Approach

At the onset of the project, Douglas Gould and Company prepared a comprehensive strategic communications plan to build awareness of the grantees, their important work and the role of religion in shaping our lives, culture and our response to problems. The strategy is based on an analysis of media coverage, a series of in-depth interviews, a brief survey of reporters who cover religious issues and an analysis of various Internet resources.

In addition, we have created media partnerships, prepared press materials, provided spokesperson training for each of the grantees, booked interviews and appearances and placed stories in a wide range of media venues. We have created both a print and online Media Resource Guide – located on the web at www.religionandpluralism.org— that includes information on the selected grantees. The resource guide is a valuable tool for reporters who are seeking a wider range of sources for their news coverage.

In the three years we have worked on this project, Douglas Gould and Company has secured coverage for the foundation grantees in a wide range of media. This often involved staging timely press events and public forums. For example, in February 2006 we offered a forum on religion in the classroom, designed to educate journalists and aspiring journalists about the complexities involved in covering religion and its relationship to public education.

Results

We have obtained placements for the Ford grantees in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Time Magazine, Newsweek, the Associated Press, Reuters, NOW with Bill Moyers, the Boston Globe, Philadelphia Inquirer, The Nation, The American Prospect, The Al Franken Show and many more publications and shows. We have also placed numerous op-eds in important news outlets such as the Boston Globe, the Houston Chronicle and Religion News Service.

Our 2004 audio news conference "President or Preacher: George W. Bush's Irresponsible Use of Religious Language" generated hundreds of media placements. From the initial feature placement in the New York Times Week in Review section to the cover of Newsweek, the audio news conference sparked a critical examination of the President's theological beliefs and political motivations.