Promoting Religious Literacy through Journalism

Kalpana Jain, MTS ’17, Director, Global Religion Journalism Initiative, Senior Editor, Ethics and Religion, The Conversation (Boston, MA)

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Describe the work you do today:

I lead a unique media partnership with the Associated Press, and the Religion News Service for The Conversation, the world’s largest publisher of research-based news. Since its inception in 2011, over 90,000 academics from universities around the world have authored more than 153,000 articles in collaboration with journalists. These articles have been read more than 4.7 billion times. During my nearly ten years at The Conversation, I have worked to counter misinformation around religion by commissioning expert commentary that explains the diversity, history, and beliefs of various faith traditions. I also coach academics on how to write for general audiences. Alongside, I write on issues related to religion for Religion News Service, The Christian Science Monitor, Wire.in, and others. I bring out a newsletter each week, “This Week in Religion,” as part of this collaboration and to improve the general understanding of significant religion developments in the world. The newsletter reaches some 35,000 readers each week.

In view of how few Americans have adequate knowledge of Islam, and also the rising Islamophobia, I started a “drip course” on Islam at The Conversation. In such a course, the public was given some basic, digestible information about a topic through a series of newsletters. Some of the pieces on Islam were so popular with readers that they were widely picked up and translated in several languages around the world, such as in Chinese, Hindi in India and Spanish in Latin America. I also wrote a tipsheet for journalists for covering Islam, for the Journalist Resource Center at the Shorenstein Center at Harvard Kennedy School as a way to inform journalists for better reporting and understanding of the faith. As part of my work as a Pulitzer Center grantee, I’ve delivered talks on college and school campuses on religion, particularly related to explaining the rise of Hindu nationalism. Since 2019, I have been invited each year to Prof Mathew Schmalz class on Hinduism at the College of Holy Cross to talk about religious and political developments in India. I’ve talked to high school students in several high schools and been invited several times to the campus of University of Pennsylvania. I’m also invited at the Berkeley Center for Religion at Georgetown University to explain the rise of Hindu nationalism, and I also contribute through my writings. One of my pieces on why we need to differentiate Hindu nationalism from Hinduism, is also part of coursework at Northeastern University.

How has your HDS degree experience influenced your career journey?

I couldn't do this work without the understanding I got at HDS. My learning from HDS has helped me apply the different methodologies in religious studies to my coverage. I steer the coverage to help inform readers about politically fraught issues in a balanced way, not generalizing faith groups, showing how religions are dynamic, evolving, and have a wide diversity of beliefs across countries and cultures. As I work with religion scholars, they trust me with the editing to keep the voice and nuance while providing constructive feedback so they can go on to develop their public writing. HDS gave me the tools to help me improve the public understanding of religion.

What career advice would you offer to current HDS students?

Most students at HDS are interested in bringing a positive change in the world but don't know what career HDS could open up for them. I would encourage students to stay with the belief that this degree has value beyond what they can see in the moment. Many organizations are looking for work that builds moral values and HDS gives us the tools, the wisdom from texts of all faith traditions and the language to make it possible. Trust this process.