Marianne Meed Ward worked with Faith Today from 1989 to 1998. It was her first job out of journalism school. She began as editorial assistant, was promoted to the role of news editor, and later replaced Audrey Dorsch as managing editor. In this latter role, she also acted as director of the God Uses Ink conference, and was part of the planning team that moved the event to Guelph. Today she works as a weekly columnist with the Toronto Sun.and is involved in local politics.
Journalist Patricia Paddey interviewed Marianne during Write! Canada 2009.
PP: What is the greatest value of a conference like this?
MMW: It brings people together who are often isolated. As writers, we toil in front of our computers. We send stuff out, and we don’t always know what kind of impact it has. Sometimes we get back email and letters, but more often, we don’t see anything. We also don’t realize that there are many other people out there doing what we’re doing as well. So, it’s worthwhile to bring people together to rub shoulders, purely from an isolation standpoint.
But it’s also great for skills development. I personally know that my writing greatly improved in the course of coming here, not only as a participant and organizer, but as a learner. I sat in on many sessions and know that it improved my writing greatly.
PP: Let’s talk about the mainstream media. Have you seen the interest—for writing from a faith perspective—lessen or grow among mainstream publications?
MMW: It waxes and wanes. It comes and goes. When I started in ’89, fresh out of journalism school, there were very few newspapers that had a religious section. And if they did have a section, it covered the strawberry social and the fundraising for the new stained glass window, a few theological "sermon" columns from the local parish priest or minister, and that was about it. Then we saw the financial scandals with Jim Bakker [of the PTL television ministry in the U.S.] and the mainstream media realized religious groups are also institutions. And journalists cover institutions—to hold them accountable, to ask questions, to make sure they are doing what they say they want to do—on behalf of the people they serve.
For many years, journalists just ignored that whole sector, until a negative [story] got people involved. But as time’s marched on, we’ve seen religion become a factor of many mainstream news stories. Now, it’s a factor when it comes to elections. It’s a factor when it comes to social policy. What does religion have to say about poverty? What does religion have to say about marriage? About education? All of those other beats that were regularly covered by journalists, were not covering the religious aspect and yet religious groups were very involved. So [the mainstream media] woke up to the fact that there were a lot of stories to be told, and a lot of educating to be done.
PP: What would you say to encourage writers who are just starting out, or who may have a dream of crossing over to mainstream media?
MMW: The very first thing I would say is learn. Go to school. Get your degree. Go to the best schools. Find out which schools are training journalists, and learn about [the profession] first. Come to conferences like this. Learn how to do journalism well. Learn the tools of the trade, and then bring your Christian faith to applying those tools. Bring that faith lens to covering stories. And then cover the stories that other people can’t because [they may not have that faith perspective so] it’s just not on their radar.
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NOTABLE QUOTES:
“When Christ came, the guy that was closest to him here on earth—the Apostle John—trying to find a way to describe him said, “he was the Word.” He could have said, “he was the dance or the symphony or the painting,” but he didn’t. He said he was “the Word.” God himself, described as being “the Word.” Words are important and they shape us.”
– Chip MacGregor, President, MacGregor Literary
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