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December 3, 2008

Another religion journalist gone

David Briggs of Cleveland's Plain Dealer laid off after a decade.

Ted Olsen

David Briggs, the religion reporter for the Cleveland Plain Dealer for the past decade, was among those laid off by the paper this week, the Cleveland Leader reports. His writing also appeared often in Religion News Service, and he had served as president of the Religion Newswriters Association. Before coming to the Plain Dealer, Briggs was a national religion writer for The Associated Press in the 1990s.

We've lost a lot of full-time religion reporter positions lately, as well as a lot of longtime religion journalists. I'm not sure if The Orlando Sentinel, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, San Diego Union Tribune, East Valley (Ariz.) Tribune, and other papers have replaced the religion reporters there who have been laid off or bought out, but I don't think so.

In related news, U.S. News & World Report religion reporter/pundit Jay Tolson has left the magazine to become director of central news at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

posted by Ted Olsen | Comments (4)

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Comments

Could it be these layoff's are subversive attacks from the world of journalisim's anti-religious/anti-conservative bias so prevalent during the recent election?

Posted By: MercyProf | December 5, 2008 10:03 PM

Religion writers are like kickers on a football team. No one knows what to do with them. Subsequently, religion is the first thing to go on a big paper budget. It's neither understood nor valued much by the management. I don't see any political overtones in this.

Posted By: Jorge | December 8, 2008 1:58 PM

I think that religion reporters should also be bold enough to get together, and find ways of becoming a force strong enough to read and listen to.

Posted By: lekan oyedepo | December 11, 2008 5:27 AM

Tolson's leaving is a big loss. He understood evangelicals better than many.

Posted By: Joel | December 12, 2008 8:35 AM