Tips for reporting on white Christian Nationalism

by Maya Henry

In the fallout of the January 6, 2021, attempted coup of the Capitol, the New York Times took a stand. In “How White Evangelical Christians Fused With Trump Extremism,” the newspaper  detailed how one Capitol rioter saw that fateful day as a “burning bush” sign from God. Another protester feared that, without intervention, President Donald Trump could be “the last Christian president.”

The Times story went on to explore how Christianity was weaponized by religious extremists in the months following the 2020 election, resulting in what would become a fatal moment in American history. It was a head-on reckoning with white Christian Nationalism that mainstream American news corporations rarely take.

There is no perfect way to report on or write about an issue as pernicious and nuanced as white Christian Nationalism. But, as I have learned from my experience as a journalist and advocate, there are concrete steps that journalists and media organizations can take to mitigate harm and falsehoods.

Don’t be afraid to name white Christian Nationalism 

Perhaps the first is to name white Christian Nationalism as it is. Those who seek to dissolve church-state separation are not only “religious advocates” or “faith-centered politicians.” They are, more perniciously, advocating against the Constitution in order to impose their religious beliefs on others.

Advocates of book bans and proponents of blocking access to gender-affirming care are not a group of parents and pastors seeking only to guide their own children; they are attempting to impose their beliefs on everyone else’s kids. In fact, many loving parents of trans kids protect their families by providing medically necessary care and affirming, loving community. Many dedicated, effective faith leaders and families support children’s development by encouraging the exchange of ideas with uncensored libraries.

Identify the perpetrators of Christian Nationalism

Our job as journalists is to name – specifically and without fear – the truth. That extends to naming the offenders, too. When Tennessee’s state-funded foster care placement agency Holston Home for Children denied services  to Liz and Gabe Rutan-Ram, a Jewish couple, on the basis of their faith, mainstream news coverage focused largely on the ensuing lawsuit filed by Americans United and spoke generally of politicians and state legislatures who’d been implicated. Buried paragraphs deep into stories, if at all, were the offenders themselves: the state legislators who introduced and voted for a bill supporting religious discrimination in foster care, and Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, who signed the bill.

Less consistently reported on, too, was the faulty law – Tennessee House Bill 836 – that enabled and legally protected such religious-grounded denial. Reporting that focused on the religious freedom of the foster care agency paid short shrift to the religious freedom arguments of the prospective parents. And, as years have passed and the lawsuit has continued to play out in courts, even more rare are mentions of how Project 2025’s adoption and foster care policies indicate this case isn’t an isolated incident, but part of a nationwide effort to erode true religious freedom for all.

Don’t ignore the faith voices fighting Christian Nationalism

In headlines and long-form coverage of Christian Nationalist attacks on democracy, it’s also important to include the perspective of the many religious voices who support the separation of church and state. Too often, the fight for the separation of church and state is falsely reduced to a zero-sum divide between the religious and the nonreligious: People of faith want the church and the state to blend, reporters often falsely claim, while atheists and non-believers do not.

We know that’s inaccurate. There are countless faith leaders – ordained ministers, rabbis, imams, and more – who have channeled their faith into church-state separation advocacy; the members of Americans United’s Faith Advisory Council are just a few of the many. And alongside these faith leaders are countless more religious Americans who are vocal critics of Christian Nationalism.

Our duty as journalists is to investigate, report, and write without fear or favor. That means boldly assessing and reporting on white Christian Nationalism – even when it is uncomfortable and unconventional.

Maya Henry is a member of Americans United’s Youth Organizing Fellowship program. The views expressed here are her own and do not necessarily represent the views of Americans United.