“I would say that working in the media is a difficult task,” says Kina Mallard, associate professor and chair of Union’s Department of Communication and Arts. “That’s mainly because media professionals are not supposed to shape any worldview. They do, but they can’t do it overtly and so therefore Christians in the media have a more difficult time purposely shaping a worldview, unless they’re in Christian media.”

Mallard acknowledges, however, that even in the secular media, a worldview does come out.

“There’s more of a blurred line of pure journalism and editorializing than ever before,” says Mallard, pointing out that a reporter’s worldview can easily be seen in follow-up questions that they give to someone they are interviewing.

Keli McAlister, a 1997 graduate of Union, is currently a general assignment reporter at KWTV in Oklahoma City, Okla., and previously served as an anchor at WBBJ in Jackson, Tenn. In 1999, she was awarded the School Bell Award by the Tennessee Education Association for “outstanding educational reporting.” Born in Seoul, South Korea, McAlister was raised in Ripley, Miss. She has a bachelor’s degree in communication arts with a political science minor.   Does a member of the media's worldview, Christian or otherwise, come into play when reporting a story? I think it's impossible for our worldviews not to come into play. It's naive to think a person can be completely unbiased. Our most personal beliefs and experiences form our worldview. It's part of what shapes who we are. It determines how we perceive and translate the things we hear and see. My job as a journalist is to understand that and try my best to remain as fair as humanly possible. As a Christian, how hard is it to work in a profession that by some is considered faithless? Working in any profession, not just the news business, is difficult. Maintaining your Christian walk is a constant battle. Sometimes the hard part is overcoming the viewers' perception that we're all faithless and liberal. Did Sept. 11 change the way things are reported, either on a national or local scope? We've definitely heard more mention of God and prayer on the national level. With Oklahoma in the heart of the Bible Belt, mentioning God or Christianity in our local coverage has never been an issue. However, on the national level, I think we've seen journalists less eager to cast doubt on those who profess their faith. Maybe all that we've seen and heard following September 11 has opened the minds of those who profess to be so open-minded. How did your experience at Union prepare you for what you’re doing today? My years at Union gave me such an amazing foundation, not only to build my career but to ground my life. Knowing what's important and how to prioritize your life is so necessary in today's hectic world. Union helped me make those distinctions and really helped reinforce the importance of always putting God first.

“When media personalities like Tom Brokaw interview people of faith, I can tell by the follow-up questions that they don’t share the same faith – on the other hand, I’ve seen other reporters who I’ve realized are believers simply because of what they’ve said in their questions and commentary,” explains Mallard.

David Aikman, a former correspondent for Time and chairman of a global fellowship of Christians in journalism, spoke recently at a conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. on the challenges of good journalism.

“There is a function in journalism with good moral dynamics to it,” says Aikman. “True journalists want to know the truth, and the truth is more important than the side you support.”

“If you go into secular journalism, whether print or broadcast, you’re still practicing Christian principles because you’re involved in a search for truth,” says Steve Beverly, assistant professor of communication arts and a former news director for more than 20 years at several television news stations.

Beverly uses an article in one of his classes that illustrates the apostle Paul as the first journalist, because of the way he told stories.

“He presented it in a journalistic fashion, letters to Phillipi, letters to the Corinthians and there’s a common thread there of seeking the truth,” explains Beverly. “If you can understand and grasp that concept, then you understand that as a journalist, you’re upholding one of the most precious biblical principles that there is by merely aspiring to get into this field.”

Mallard admits that students who are going into the field are facing some tough challenges, but that they’re prepared when they leave Union.

“There’s a tension there for Christian students who go into the secular media,” says Mallard. “We want them to be out there, but they have to be ready for the challenge.”

Beverly agrees. “There are choices that graduates will be confronted with and those values that have hopefully been instilled in them while they’re here will be what they turn to for overcoming those challenges,” says Beverly. “The Christian attempts to live a life that can be an example for shaping someone else’s. If you go into the media, the practice of reporting is designed to serve and help shape public opinion. If you practice the golden rule within the realm of what you do professionally, you're going to serve the same purpose and you have a lot of opportunity to reach a lot more people.”

“Christians need to get into journalism,” says Aikman. “They can change the environment just by being themselves.”

“It starts with you,” adds Mallard. “Integrity of who you are, your personal relationship with Jesus, and surrounding yourself with Christians to help you grow spiritually. No matter how strong your voice, how public your venue, if you don’t have integrity of character, no one will listen and eventually you’ll be found out.

“Not everyone is called to crusade the Christian culture in public, but we are called to be faithful in the small things – in what I say and what I do,” says Mallard.

“How I act and how I represent the truth is a way to shape the world for Christ.”