Religion Media Festival: Religion, Politics and Media in America - interview with Sir Mark Thompson

Sir Mark Thompson, chief executive of CNN and former director-general of the BBC, told the Religion Media Festival that religion is important for journalists to understand and report well, not least because the overwhelming majority of people in the world have some level of commitment to it.

A committed Catholic, he found religion “intriguing and fascinating”, but not everyone in the media business agreed. Interviewed by the BBC’s home editor, Mark Easton, he said religion plays a much bigger part in American life than in Britain, and more often, it’s woven into political discussion. The fact that really serious, powerful political figures in the United States are trying to advance a broad cultural or political point by getting involved in particular questions of doctrine, was a good example of why journalists should take it seriously.

The Religion Media Festival, held at Methodist Central Hall, London, on Monday 9 June 2025, was organised by the Religion Media Centre. We are a charity which aims to help journalists report religion by providing daily news bulletins, background briefings, factsheets and opportunities to network.

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