Article: How religion makes the news: conventions of reporting.(Cover Story)

STUDENTS OF JOURNALISM have often noted the stereotypical character of news stories. "The content may change, but the forms will be enduring," writes Paul Rock. "Much news is, in fact, ritual. It conveys an impression of endlessly repeated drama whose themes are familiar and well-understood." Working journalists themselves recognize how limited their repertoire is. "There are 12 stories in the big city," goes a traditional newsroom joke. "And we're going to tell them over and over and over a in." An even more reductive scheme, noted by Martin Mayer, claims that only two real stories exist in journalism: nabbing the guilty parties and identifying the defective parts.

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