If anyone ever writes a book about the history of religion news in the mainstream press it will need to include a photo of the glowering, and often smirking, mug of Lou Grant.
Lou Grant was a TV character, of course, played by the Emmy-winning actor Ed Asner, who died on Sunday (August 29) at age 91. But for millions of Americans, he provided -- in "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and the sequel "Lou Grant" -- an archetypal image of what old-school journalism was all about.
One 1977 "Lou Grant" episode certainly captured some of the attitudes I encountered while interviewing journalists for my 1982 graduate project at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, which focused on why few newsrooms made serious attempts to cover religion events and trends -- unless they were linked to politics.
Quite a few editors sounded like Lou Grant.
In this episode, entitled "Sect," the city editor of the mythical Los Angeles Tribune was wrestling with two problems at the same time. The problems seemed to be unrelated.
First, the Trib had lost its veteran religion editor. Grant searched and searched, but no one was interested in filling that empty desk. After all, what self-respecting journalist wanted to be stuck with the religion beat?
Problem number two was how to get rid of lazy, often-drunk, no-good reporter Mal Cavanaugh. All through this episode the newsroom's leaders had been searching for a way to get Cavanaugh to resign. Then came a spark of inspiration. The printed script is simple:
LOU: Well, Mal, you've been with this paper a mighty long time. As you say, this is your family.
CAVANAUGH: (All that humility) Aw, well, it's nice to be appreciated.
LOU: And I think I've found a place where we'll be able to use that special, sweet style that is Mal Cavanaugh.
CAVANAUGH: (Those eyes are getting moist; he sees himself getting a column) What's that, Lou?
LOU: Congratulations, Mal. You're the Trib's new religion editor.
(Lou sits back beaming. The information seeps in a bit slowly on Cavanaugh, who blinks at Lou.)
CAVANAUGH: Religion editor?