Name: Telling the story of religion in Texas through journalism
Start: 2025-04-08T08:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-04-08T16:00:00-05:00
Location: Frances Anne Moody Hall, Southern Methodist University

Telling the story of religion in Texas through journalism

Religion is central to the story of Texas, but its rich complexity often goes untold. Texans practice a dynamic mosaic of religions — Texas has the largest number of evangelical Protestants in the nation as well as one of the largest Muslim populations and the second largest Hindu population in the U.S. And the second largest religious demographic in the state of Texas – after Hispanic Catholics – is people who have no religious identity.
How is this diversity of faith represented in the media? What stories are being told — and what’s being overlooked?
At a daylong symposium Tuesday, April 8, Texas journalists, public scholars and community leaders will explore how religion shapes our state and how the media represents Texas’ rich and complex religious landscape.
Following an opening keynote by Robert Jones, president and founder of Public Religion Research Institute, panelists will explore the role of religion in telling Texas’ story; highlight underrepresented communities, issues and perspectives; and discuss the role of journalism in shaping public understanding of faith.
Doors open at 8 a.m. at SMU’s Moody Auditorium at Frances Anne Moody Hall in Dallas and the event concludes at 4 p.m. Complimentary lunch is included.
The daylong symposium is presented by the Institute for Diversity and Civic Life, Religion News Service, Southern Methodist University's Department of Religious Studies and The Texas Tribune. The event is sponsored by The Eula May & John Baugh Foundation, The Henry Luce Foundation and Humanities Texas.