Having the Last Word, but Losing the Culture Wars: Mainstream Press Coverage of a Canceled Evangelical Benediction

Abstract

This study examines how mainstream news media reported the withdrawal of a popular pastor from the 2013 Obama inaugural ceremony. Louie Giglio was originally chosen for a role in the event but relinquished his position when focus was placed on a sermon he once delivered about homosexuality. Analysis of framing and sourcing of the stories raises serious questions about the role media played in reporting about this skirmish, which is clearly part of the larger culture wars.

Notes

¹ The number of stories found is interesting in itself. More attention is devoted to this in the discussion section.

² News stories speak of a statement from the Presidential Inauguration Committee. Many cite it, and provide quotations from it. There does not appear to be a copy of the statement online at the time of the writing of this article.

³ Some of the basis for variants of the word “surfaced” was certainly that Giglio used the term in his explanation of the event (posted on the church's Web site). As is discussed later, however, in many instances the theme was expounded much beyond use of the particular word. In addition, Giglio's blog entry had other colorful words that could have served as a frame for the news story. For example, the “criticism” frame could have been bolstered by Giglio's claim that he was being dragged into “a fight on an issue not of our choosing” (Giglio, 2013).

⁴ After ThinkProgress and others complained of their selection, a spokesperson for the committee said they were unaware of Giglio's sermon and that his words “don't reflect our desire to celebrate the strength and diversity of our country.”

⁵ The Associate Press Stylebook suggests that reporters should avoid fragmentary quotes. It provides no definition of “fragmentary.”