God and the dreaded Mainstream Media

First of all, I'm a veteran of the media. I was a news photographer in New Mexico for a few years, and still have many friends and loved ones in the business, including my girlfriend. I know what it's like trying to grind out content day after day and try to get it right. I also know how much certain segments of the public delight in finding fault in what they cover in the blanket term of "the Mainstream Media". It's right up there with "Big Pharma", "Big Oil" and "the Government" in the club of nearly omnipotent yet woefully incompetent entities conspiring to rule the world. Journalists are like everyone else. There are good ones, and there are also bad ones. I'm the first to defend the unfairly maligned, but I'll also not hesitate to shoot down those who are lowering the bar, particularly in subjects important to me.
For instance, this little number from Florida:
Anti-God billboard finally up
This is just a brief about an ongoing story in Jacksonville, where, like in many other cities around the world, non-religious groups are erecting billboards aimed at alienated non-believers. Starting with the headline, it's a steaming pile of crap. The billboard is no more anti-God than a billboard reading "Like sandwiches?" is anti-pizza. It is not aimed at believers, it is outreach for non-believers who feel they are alone in a sea of religionists. The theist should stop reading after the question mark and keep driving. To add to the fervor, the station posted an online poll, asking viewers if they were offended by the billboard. There is nothing offensive about this billboard. By even suggesting that there could be, the station lends credibility to the notion that not being persuaded by religious ideas is somehow an attack on those who are.
In another piece, the station directly pits the non-religious group against a nearby church, saying the sign "will question [the church's] mission and that of other churches." Again, the billboard does not aim to persuade people or attack religion, just to reach out to those without it. The reporter goes on to quote the pastor of the church, who says he

"thought it was interesting that they capitalized "God." Just by that mere fact they are in some way acknowledging that there is a God."

Wrong. That's just good grammar and respect. I, like Freddie Mercury, do not believe in Peter Pan, Frankenstein or Superman. Not being real does not stop them from being proper nouns.
I do not take issue with the journalism regarding that quote, though. People should most certainly be allowed to have their foolish statements made public.

The second media issue on my mind has less to do with actual journalists as those who would influence them. As I mentioned my girlfriend is a journalist. Recently she received mail regarding writing awards from the Amy Foundation. I had never heard of the Amy Foundation, so I looked it up. It seems they are a religious organization with some deep pockets, as they can offer a cash prizes totaling $34,000 for including "biblical truth" in the mainstream media, with a first place prize of $10,000. All the journalist has to do in exchange is toss out their objectivity and try to slip some good old-fashioned evangelism past their editors (provided they aren't in on the scheme).
Let's take a look at what's going on here. Here we have an organization with an agenda offering substantial cash sums to journalists willing to not just report on but clearly promote their agenda using direct quotes from the organizations approved source material. Does the fact it's labeled a prize stop it from being bribery? If so, it's genius. Why bother paying off unscrupulous reporters to pass your message when you can make them compete against each other for the money? More message with less payout. It's true that most of what results from this is op-ed pieces. It's still unethical. Offering a $10,000 carrot to turn a column into a pulpit for a week is enough to tempt many Christmas and Easter Christians into pretending they are St. Paul. Imagine any other organization offering so much money to publish their message. If the Beef Council had a $10,000 prize I'd be tempted to write about all the benefits and wonders of steak, and I don't even eat the stuff.