Media Savvy Religion Consultant Announces Availability to Journalists

August, 2003 -- Journalists seeking a media savvy religion expert for consultation on their stories will find a colleague in the services now offered by MaryEllen O'Brien.— Broadcaster, Writer and Theologian. MaryEllen O'Brien is a veteran of broadcast media with 20 years of on-air experience in that field as a drive time host as well as stints as news anchor and news writer, public affairs director and skilled interviewer.

She is also a published author and freelance writer in the field of religion, and a degreed theologian with a masters degree in theology from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, specializing in liturgy and sacramental areas, a B.A. in Religious Studies, and she is currently at work on her Ph.D. in Theology at Loyola University Chicago.

This is a rare combination of talents and education, and one she wishes to share with journalists seeking an expert to consult on matters of religion in the news in the U.S. Her expertise is in Christianity and in particular, Catholicism. She is also knowledgeable on ecumenical issues, and able to find answers for you if she doesn't have them at her fingertips.

The ability to understand the media from the inside and to provide the kind of information helpful to a journalist in writing a particular story is unique. All too often religion stories suffer from misunderstanding on the part of the journalist who receives information without the clarity necessary to do justice to the story, either through a lack of education in this area, or a personal/professional filter that is not helpful in presenting a religion based story to the public.

Or, conversely, the experts consulted have no media understanding and do not provide information in the clearest way. It is the constant criticism of the media's handling of religion stories that prompts MaryEllen to offer her services toward a better mutual understanding of religion in the news.

We are living in a time when religion is making frequent headlines, whether it's the crisis in the Catholic Church, the division in the Episcopal Church over the confirmation of an openly gay bishop, or the struggles of other church communities in dealing with the issues of the day and the church's role in contemporary society.

As an author and freelance writer MaryEllen brings a writer's perspective as well as a broadcaster's to her consultations. For more on MaryEllen's work and her book, Living Well & Dying Well: A Sacramental View of Life and Death, visit the web site listed below. This kind of religion in the media consult is valuable and rare, and it is hoped it will aid in fostering understanding of issues in religion in national and local media.

She has worked at media outlets in various U.S. cities such as Portland, Maine and Sacramento, California, as well as a stint as a music presenter and news reader on an international radio station based near Dublin Ireland, in the early 90's.
   
For more information contact:
MaryEllen O'Brien
312.498.4508           
http://www.authorsden.com/maryellenobrien







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