Journalism is a noble calling. The working journalist is to report, write, and explain in accordance with the highest standards of the profession.

The Christian, of all people, should be committed to the written word, because God has revealed himself by the written word.

Clarity, brevity, and veracity are goals toward which the journalist should strive. The journalist of faith should write articulate, rich, penetrating, and complete stories that go below the surface. The journalist of faith should exhibit humility, adaptability, quickness of foot, perseverance, and aggressiveness in getting the story.

McCandlish Phillips has written, "The irreducible, elementary, primary, essential requirement of news is that it be factually accurate. The journalist who is a Christian will be as accurate and balanced and fair and faithful to facts as possible. That journalist will not lie, will not distort, will not make things up, and will not embroider the story for effect or state it out of balance."

Factual accuracy in news reporting, undiminished and undistorted by attitudes and outlooks, is the bedrock of the trade. When reporters and editors get that right, they serve the public honorably and well, and are worthy of respect from their readers and colleagues.

It is to the end of equipping journalists of faith to embody these goals that the McCandlish Phillips Chair of Mentoring is established.

McCandlish Phillips

John McCandlish Phillips is a former reporter for the New York Times (1955-1973) and a co-founder of the New Testament Missionary Fellowship Church (Westchester, N.Y. and NYC). Gay Talese, author and former Timesman, is quoted as stating, "McCandlish was the Ted Williams of the young reporters. He was a natural. There was only one guy I thought I was not the equal of, and that was McCandlish Phillips." The New Yorker has called McCandlish Phillips "legendary," "brilliant," "much talented," and "more interested in the truth and texture of a story than in scoring a scoop." Ken Auletta has written of Mr. Phillips, "Among the outstanding journalists who worked in the Times newsroom in those days - Gay Talese, David Halberstam, Gloria Emerson, J. Anthony Lukas, Richard Reeves - Phillips was widely thought to be the most gifted writer." McCandlish Phillips is the author of City Notebook and The Bible, the Supernatural and the Jews. He is the author of the popular free WJI monograph "Faith in the Daily News Chase."

Books

Michael R. Smith

Campbell University

Dr. Michael Ray Smith is the 2011 WJI John McCandlish Phillips Scholar and a professor of communication studies at Campbell University in Buies Creek, N.C. His new book Free press, Free hand: The handwritten newspapers of John McLean Harrington: A cultural approach came out in March 2011.

Dr. Smith earned a Ph. D. from Regent University and taught at state and private universities, at graduate and undergraduate schools and now is a professor at Campbell University.

An award-winning writer and photographer, he has been quoted in the New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Chicago Tribune, the Arizona Republic, Editor & Publisher, Christianity Today and many other periodicals. He has written five books, 12 journal articles and hundreds of articles for the popular press.

His chapter on “Labels in Media Bias” is part of the 2007 book, Media Bias, Finding It, Fixing It. His book FeatureWriting.Net explores popular writing and The Jesus Newspaper explores the idea of the Christian journalist. Michael spent a decade working in the newsroom and more than two decades working in the classroom.

In 2008 Shippensburg University, his graduate school, honored him as a Distinguished Alumnus of the Year,the highest award presented by the university. He has presented workshops on writing in the United States and overseas. He works with the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication on issues of equity and disability. Michael and Barbara Smith have two daughters, both involved in media and entertainment. His theme: “We’re saved to be spent.”