by Angie Rome, 1997 Minority Workshop Participant

Editor's note: In addition to visiting this summer's High School Journalism Workshop, Jeff Wright, MS '87, also visited the School this spring, sharing his experience in the newspaper business with several undergraduate classes. This profile, written by a participant in the journalism workshop, first appeared in the workshop's paper, The Mercury.

In 1987 Jeff Wright wrote his master's thesis on how newspapers cover religion. Ten years later, he found himself reporting on school and political events in the Eugene community for The Register-Guard, while hoping for a chance to write about religious issues. Finally, Wright got his chance. He was assigned to report on religious and moral aspects of life.

Just a week after this long-awaited opportunity, Wright was arrested and thrown in jail for criminal trespassing. He found it ironic to be arrested a week after he was assigned to write on religious issues.

"As a reporter, you want to report the news. You don't want to be the news," he told a group of high school students attending a journalism workshop at UO in June.

Wright was arrested while reporting on an environmental protest in the mountains.

"One of the hardest things," said Wright, "was to try to explain to my daughter why Daddy was
in jail last night."

The newspaper bailed Wright out, the charges were eventually dropped, and he returned to his reporting on religious and moral issues.

"Historically, the media have shied away from religious topics," said Wright. "Journalists have been taught to deal with the facts."

Religion is seen as airy, Wright said, and for many reporters it is difficult to report on such issues because of the lack of hard evidence and of the absence of religion in their lives.

Until recently, religion was seen as "soft news"; journalists are used to reporting "hard news," he said, although this idea has begun to change. The media are coming to realize the need to cover religious topics, because it is another way to reach readers and because of the importance of religion to growing number of people.

Wright writes on religious issues, not completely for the religion part of it, but from a sociological point of view. Comments such as "refreshing to see," and "about time" are common, he said. The feedback he's received has been mostly positive.