The Religion Reporting Project provides students an opportunity to immerse themselves in different cultures, opening avenues to understanding people and practices from various religions.
The project, which has been an extracurricular program, but is now being offered as a one-credit class, is open to students of any major. Led by Tracy Simmons, scholarly assistant professor, and long-time religion reporter, with the support of additional Murrow faculty, students attend field trips to visit different religious worship places.
“I think it puts you in uncomfortable situations sometimes which is a really good thing as you’re learning how to be a reporter, and I think it helps open your mind to things that will challenge you on a personal level; morals, ethics and beliefs,” she said.
Simmons began the project during the fall of 2022 with the help of a Smith Grant from WSU and external funding. So far, students and some faculty have visited the Spokane Islamic Center, Spokane synagogue, Pullman Ashram, Monastery of St. Gertrude for an overnight trip, Morning Star Baptist Church and the Sikh Gurudwara temple of Spokane.
This year, after visiting Morning Star Baptist Church and the Sikh temple, students had Zoom follow-ups with religious professionals to ask further questions and discuss their experiences.
Puneet Bsanti, breaking news reporter for the Tacoma News Tribune and multimedia journalism and English ‘23 graduate, participated in the project for two semesters and attended the Epic Storytelling in Greece trip also led in part by Simmons which had an aspect of religion, she said.
She did not know religion was a possible beat she could cover until she met Simmons, Bsanti said. Getting a chance to learn about different religions piqued her curiosity and she was eager to go into different religious worship settings.
“You get to use your curiosity of religion to learn more and ask these questions to the leaders of these organizations who basically dedicate their whole lives to their faith,” Bsanti said.
Through the Religion Reporting Project, Bsanti spoke to individuals with diverse religious beliefs. Despite her initial expectations, she emerged with a broader understanding of their experiences, realizing their stories are more complex than perceived.
Sara Stout, assistant dean of student affairs of Murrow College, said the Religion Reporting Project is a gateway for students to discover themselves and understand how they can contribute to the world outside of college.
“They (students) need to have exposure and involvement in a number of things to be ready for what comes after college, whether that is returning to a family business, not working but being part of a community, graduate school or working in the industry,” Stout said.
The project is a way for students to become inquisitive about different communities and fulfills the needs of students who want to tell stories even if they are not communication majors, she said.
Alexandria Osborne, senior multimedia journalism major, has attended two of the trips, one being a visit to the Sikh temple of Spokane.
“Seeing the differences between the church I grew up in and other churches, it was interesting to see how they sat on the floor, were going in and out of the room all the time and how they fed them breakfast and lunch,” she said.
Osborne had always been interested in other cultures, she said, however, before the Religion Reporting Project she had not gotten the chance to explore her curiosity. She was nervous at first, but the “eye-opening” experiences of visiting diverse religious places helped her feel more comfortable approaching various groups of people.
Beginning spring semester, a one-credit religion reporting class under COM 275 taught by Simmons, will be offered. Transforming the project into a class aims to attract more students and allocate more time to discuss and learn about religion, Stout said. Students enrolled will be required to attend one weekend visit a month to a religious worship place, however, participation is open to all students regardless of enrollment.
Simmons hopes involvement with the project and/or class propels students toward prospective internships and helps them obtain professional clips they can use for future employment, she said.
“I think people should just do it,” Bsanti said. “You get to go to all these places and talk to all these people and just really be a journalist.”
Students can visit the Religion Reporting Website to learn more and join the email list for information on upcoming trips or contact Tracy Simmons at tracy.m.simmons@wsu.edu.