Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Executive Committee: Baptist Press is just fine as is

Well, I’m not leaving until later today, so how about the SBC Executive Committee quickly disposing of the motion to make Baptist Press independent and not under the control of Morris Chapman and soon, Frank Page?

The issue comes out of complaints that BP has been biased and would be less so if they had some independence from the CEO of the Executive Committee. While I don’t know if such a move would do much to improve BP (there are probably some unintended consequences) and while there are some very good people working for BP, I cannot say that I value BP’s product all that much.

Perhaps they are working on a story to report that the EC voted against the motion but does it say anything about the EC and BP that they don’t have a story on the issue up yet? Seems Tammy Reed Ledbetter found time to do a pretty good story for the The Southern Baptist Texan. At least one other Baptist news outlet, the Florida Baptist Witness, carried the story as well.

I don’t think it helps the Executive Committee or Baptist Press that Chapman said that the motion would not be considered until 2011 but later added it, about 10 days after the proposed agenda was mailed out. Perception here? You tell me.

And I’m just a plodding pastor but I don’t see Baptist Press as being all that relevant at times. On some issues I have to go to Associated Baptist Press or one of the state papers for news that BP apparently doesn’t want to deal with.

It's a wild conjecture, but I get the impression from the SBC hinterlands that BP is hopelessly, though mildly, biased and will invariably be compromised on many issues by the thinking and positions of the EC CEO. As a publicity arm of the SBC, I suppose they do a decent job.

Memo to Frank Page and the 83 members of the SBC’s Executive Committee: It’s 2010, brethren and sistren and I suppose you all have noticed that Southern Baptists have lots of options for news.

1 comment:

Jim Gethro said...

You have a good point about that one story, but you oughta read the Florida Baptist Witness and the Texan on a regular basis, and see how much Baptist Press copy they carry (it's a lot). Without BP, both papers would be a shell of what they are now (as would every Baptist paper). BP, the Witness, and the Texan work well together and complement one another. Also, you oughta check out BP's coverage of the annual meeting. I monitored all the websites for meeting coverage in June, and BP's easily was the fastest.