Project for Excellence in Journalism
A Spiritual Network in Cyberspace
Beliefnet.com Proves a Successful Model for Combining Journalism and Networking
Some of the biggest names in web journalism -- ESPN.com, Slate.com, and People.com -- were among the finalists for the 2007 National Magazine Award in "Online General Excellence." But when the American Society of Magazine Editors announced the winner on May 1, a lesser known spirituality-and faith-based site called Beliefnet.com walked away with the top prize.
If Beliefnet is not exactly a household name, it is an interesting experiment in online journalism. For one thing, its own turbulent history in some ways reflects the trajectory of the internet itself. For another, the strategy it has settled on -- a subject specific site that offers interactivity, networking and journalistic even-handedness -- may offer one working blueprint for the rapidly evolving field of Web information.
The eight-year-old New York-based site -- founded by former U.S. News & World Report national editor Steve Waldman -- has caught the attention of its media peers. Aside from this year's National Magazine Award, it also won the Online News Association's 2003 award for general excellence in online journalism in the independent category for sites with more than 200,000 unique visitors a month. (With a full-time staff of 60, including 21 editorial employees, Beliefnet says it attracts about 3 million unique visitors a month.)
Beliefnet's editorial and business identities, as described in interviews with both former and current staffers as well as several knowledgeable observers, appear to be rooted in two basic strategies -- social networking and journalistic balance.
Social networking is the growing phenomenon -- popularized by sites like MySpace and Facebook -- that allows people to exchange ideas and debate issues directly with one another on the Web. According to current and former staffers, Beliefnet's message boards and chat rooms -- the main components of social networking -- serve as a social catalyst for people to organize and meet in their own communities, such as Hindu residents in the Midwest.
"There is something about religion and spirituality that makes people want to connect with one another," says Paul O'Donnell, a former senior editor at Beliefnet. The site's message boards cover virtually all faiths, from Christianity, Judaism, and Islam to less traditional ones, like Paganism, Witchcraft and Scientology.
Beliefnet also tries to defuse the potentially polarizing topic of religion by remaining theologically neutral and offering different perspectives on contentious issues. The guiding principle is to try and create trust among the site's readers, according to Deborah Caldwell, Beliefnet's managing editor since October 2005.