Extra! Extra! Philistines in the Newsroom!

Pity the poor newspaper writer. Every day he (or she) must grab the reader’s attention, convey something newsworthy in a fresh way and do it all in the space of a few inches of type. Is it any wonder that newspaper reporters and editors reach for the Bible?

But when newswriters pick up the Good Book, they do so not primarily for spiritual solace or for religious inspiration; they do it because the Bible provides a rich store of characters and readily recognized events that newswriters can draw on to enliven their stories. Or, to put it into headline-ese, “BIBLE A GODSEND FOR REPORTERS.”