Ahsan Raza from Pakistan and Prince Charles Dickson from Nigeria are two journalists who want to share with us some realities and perspectives of covering religion in their respective countries.

What is the state of religion coverage in the Arab world? In order to understand the reality of religion reporting in the Arab media, I contacted a number of journalists from Arab countries who are interested in the topic. Read about how religion is covered in Algeria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Palestine and Lebanon.

A multitude of international studies show that respect for religious diversity has the greatest potential for peace and that the stories journalists tell about minority religions can make a real difference.

Join a select group of journalists from across the world as they share their insights, resources and strategies for reporting on religion and politics via a six-week online seminar organized by the International Center for Journalists.

In its effort to promote contemporary issues in international religion reporting, members of the IARJ’s Board of Directors held several seminars in November 2012 at leading journalism and academic institutions in the US.

Endy Bayuni, Senior Editor at the Jakarta Post, has reported extensively on the complex mosaic of interfaith relations in Indonesia for more than ten years. Here he shares his insights into the media’s role on shaping opinions around religion.

For 21 years, Peggy Fletcher Stack has covered religious issues for The Salt Lake Tribune. She says religious reporting touches all the important topics – values, ethics, communities, rituals, philosophical underpinnings, politics, meaning and provides some of the most compelling narratives in the media.

Recent events such as the release of a crude anti-Islamic film made by extremists was associated with violent actions by extremists in other parts of the world shows how issues relating to faith can cross borders with startling speed and emphasizes the importance of the IARJ.

Please join your colleagues in the joyous task of spreading the news about the world’s first international body of religion journalists providing editors, reporters and analysts with the tools, resources and support to promote accurate, fair and balanced reporting on religion worldwide. Press releases in Arabic, Catalan , English, French, Hebrew, Indonesian, Italian, Portuguese, Serbian, Spanish, Swahili and Turkish are available for media outlets and journalism associations in your nation announcing the IARJ. Celebrate this truly international body of 400 journalists from some 90 nations.

“International Coverage of Gender, Health, Education and Religion,” a six-week seminar offered by the International Center for Journalists from September 24 to November 2, will examine effective ways of reporting on gender, health, education and religion.