Religion Journalists - UK

As CNN's Vatican Correspondent based in London, Lamb specializes in decoding the intersection of faith, power, and media. His 16-year career combines theological training with investigative rigor, producing award-winning analyses of papal diplomacy and institutional reform.

Key Coverage Areas

• Papal Health & Succession Planning: Tracked 14 papal hospitalizations since 2015 with exclusive mortality protocol insights
• Ecumenical Diplomacy: Documented 23 interfaith initiatives across 15 countries
• Journalism Ethics: Publishes annual guidelines for reporting on sacramental matters

Pitching Preferences

• Actionable interfaith collaboration proposals
• Vatican policy changes with historical precedents
• Profiles of lay reformers under age 40

Notable Achievements

• 2023 Edward R. Murrow Award for South Sudan coverage
• 11 authored books bridging religious and media history
• Regular commentator for BBC, ABC, and Al-Jazeera

As lead editor at The Church of England Newspaper, Blakely specializes in:

• Ecclesiastical Policy: Tracks General Synod decisions and their societal impacts
• Interfaith Relations: Analyzes collaboration models between Abrahamic faiths
• Religious Urbanism: Examines faith communities' role in city planning

Pitching Guidelines

• Focus on structural reforms rather than personal narratives
• Include quantitative data from reputable theological institutes
• Avoid pitches about American evangelical movements

Damian Thompson is a leading voice on religious geopolitics and cultural criticism, currently serving as associate editor at The Spectator. With over three decades of reporting experience, his work bridges Vatican diplomacy, classical music analysis, and investigations into religious persecution.

Key Coverage Areas

• Vatican-China Relations: Documents the Catholic Church’s complex negotiations with authoritarian regimes.
• Sacred Music Politics: Explores how classical compositions reflect ideological struggles across eras.
• Global Religious Persecution: Exposes state-sponsored suppression of faith communities in Asia and Africa.

Pitching Guidance

Thompson prioritizes deeply researched stories with historical context and verifiable conflict. Successful pitches often include:

• Leaked government documents on religious suppression tactics
• Longitudinal studies of denominational demographic shifts
• Archival materials linking sacred art to political movements

Notable Recognition

• 2024 Templeton Religion Journalism Award for Uighur persecution coverage
• 2018 Orwell Prize shortlist for addiction crisis reporting
• Author of five books analyzing apocalyptic belief systems

Senior Writer at the UK's premier Anglican publication, Church Times, Davies has redefined religious journalism through:

• Policy Impact: Her 2024 series on clergy housing allowances directly influenced General Synod reforms
• Global Reach: From Colombian peace communities to Kenyan FGM prevention programs, she maps faith's role in social change
• Data-Driven Storytelling: Pioneered FOIA-based investigations into church financial allocations

Pitching Priorities

• Focus: Institutional decision-making processes with measurable community outcomes
• Avoid: Personality profiles lacking systemic analysis

"The best stories reveal how our creeds become concrete" – Davies on her methodology

Key Achievement: Her book Lights Through the Path (SPCK) remains required reading in bereavement ministry training programs across four denominations.

Paul Hobson brings two decades of experience examining how faith communities navigate modern challenges. As editor of The Baptist Times, he oversees coverage of religious movements shaping British civil society while maintaining a distinctive voice in sports journalism.

Key Coverage Areas

• Religious Innovation: Profiles faith groups implementing measurable social programs
• Sports Sociology: Analyzes amateur athletics as community cohesion tools
• Ethical Photography: Contributes wildlife imaging guides emphasizing habitat preservation

Pitching Preferences

• Prefers data-rich stories over opinion pieces (83% of recent bylines include original statistics)
• Seeks underreported interfaith collaborations outside London
• Open to multimedia proposals aligning with his wildlife photography expertise

Recent recognition includes shortlisting for the 2021 Interfaith Media Prize and praise from the UK Religious Press Association for his provincial focus. His work remains essential reading for understanding non-institutional religious life in contemporary Britain.

Ruth Gledhill is assistant editor at The Tablet, where she analyzes religion's evolving role in public life. With particular focus on institutional reform and religious persecution, her work bridges theological scholarship and contemporary sociopolitical analysis.

Key Coverage Areas

• Ecclesiastical Governance: Tracks power dynamics within global Anglican and Catholic hierarchies
• Faith & Technology: Examines digital media's impact on religious practice and community building
• Persecution Patterns: Documents 21st-century challenges to religious freedom across ideological regimes

Pitching Insights

• Do: Frame stories through historical religious precedents
• Avoid: Parish-level events without broader institutional implications

"The most compelling stories reveal how ancient faith traditions navigate modern conceptions of justice and human rights."

Gledhill's career-defining recognition includes the 2004 Andrew Cross Award for her analysis of Anglican property disputes, establishing her as a leading voice in religious journalism.

As senior reporter at The Jewish Chronicle, Rocker specializes in the intersection of religious tradition and modern institutional dynamics within UK Jewish communities. His work consistently drives national conversations about:

• Orthodox Judaism’s Evolution: Track record of reporting on gender roles, leadership reforms, and demographic shifts within Britain’s largest Jewish denomination.
• Educational Policy: From Ofsted inspections of faith schools to curriculum debates, Rocker’s 18-year tenure includes groundbreaking investigations into funding and academic standards.
• Transatlantic Jewish Politics: Analyzes how UK Jewish organizations navigate relationships with Israeli governments and American Jewish institutions.

Pitching Recommendations

• Lead with Data: Rocker prioritizes studies showing trends in synagogue attendance, school enrollment, or charitable giving patterns.
• Highlight Institutional Innovation: Successful pitches often focus on new approaches to age-old challenges, like tech-driven kosher certification or youth engagement programs.
• Avoid Speculative Angles: Steer clear of op-ed-style pitches lacking concrete examples or verifiable sources within established Jewish organizations.

As Channel 4 News’ foremost analyst of multicultural Britain, Manji combines political acuity with historical rigor. Her reporting focuses on three key areas:

• Policy Impacts: Tracking legislation affecting minority communities through data-driven investigations
• Cultural Preservation: Documenting endangered heritage sites and traditions
• Media Representation: Analyzing diversity in newsroom leadership and content production

Pitching Priorities

• Provide archival evidence: Successful pitches reference local historical records or specialized collections
• Include measurable outcomes: Manji prefers stories with verifiable metrics over anecdotal accounts
• Highlight institutional patterns: Focus on systemic issues rather than individual cases

"Journalism at its best helps us see ourselves in others’ stories."

Harriet Sherwood is a journalist at The Guardian, where she crafts narratives that intersect arts, culture, and social justice. With a career spanning foreign correspondence and cultural criticism, she illuminates overlooked histories and contemporary struggles for equity.

Current Focus

• Arts & Historical Recognition: Sherwood spotlights efforts to memorialize marginalized figures, as seen in her coverage of Mary Heaton’s blue plaque campaign.
• Religion & Pluralism: She explores interfaith initiatives, avoiding doctrinal debates to focus on community-building, such as her profile of a multicultural London school.
• Cultural Wellness Practices: Articles like her examination of Japanese forest bathing reveal her interest in tradition-rooted well-being.

Pitching Insights

• Do: Propose stories with archival research, grassroots voices, and cross-cultural connections.
• Avoid: Celebrity-driven arts coverage or abstract theological debates.

Career Highlights

“Sherwood’s reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict set a standard for empathetic yet rigorous journalism.” — Media Analyst, Reuters Institute

Based in the UK, Sherwood’s work continues to shape conversations about memory, identity, and justice.

As Science Reporter and Religious Affairs Correspondent for The Times, Burgess specializes in:

• Emerging Tech Ethics: Particularly AI theology and medical innovation debates
• Demographic Shifts: Tracking generational changes in religious practice

Avoid Pitches About:

• Celebrity faith journeys without sociological context
• Pure STEM breakthroughs lacking cultural implications

Recent Recognition:

2025 Science Journalist of the Year finalist for gene-editing reporting

Sir Keith Thomas (b. 1933) is a preeminent British historian focusing on early modern social and cultural transformations. Currently contributing to the London Review of Books, his work bridges academic research and public discourse through essays analyzing historical belief systems and their modern legacies.

Key Focus Areas

• Historical Anthropology: Examines how pre-industrial communities understood magic, religion, and nature
• Cultural Evolution: Traces changing attitudes toward work, civility, and human-animal relationships from 1500-1800

Pitching Recommendations

Avoid Modern Analogies

While Thomas occasionally connects historical patterns to contemporary issues, he prefers letting historical evidence speak for itself rather than forced comparisons to modern politics.

Nelson Jones is a UK-based journalist for New Statesman, specializing in politics, religion, and cultural shifts. His work examines how traditional institutions navigate modern societal values, with a focus on British identity and secularism.

Pitching Tips

• Highlight institutional critiques: Jones seeks stories about the Church of England, monarchy, or political systems undergoing identity crises.
• Avoid international angles: His focus remains firmly on UK-centric narratives.

For deeper engagement, reference his analysis of polling data or historical comparisons, as seen in his exploration of secularization’s impact on British identity.

Steve Doughty (Daily Mail, UK) dissects how legal frameworks shape British identity. His portfolio reveals three core interests:

• Constitutional Reform: Tracks clashes between traditional institutions and modern governance
• Civil Liberties: Analyzes grassroots legal challenges to state policies
• Religious Policy: Reports on state-faith intersection without theological advocacy

Pitching Insights

Successful pitches combine leaked documents with human narratives. Doughty prioritizes:

• Unpublished court filings showing regional judicial disparities
• Religious leaders' internal communications on policy compliance
• Immigration case studies with 5+ years of legal history

"The best stories emerge when citizens' lived experiences expose systemic contradictions." - From 2024 NUJ keynote

Tom Holland stands as one of Britain’s most influential public intellectuals, blending academic rigor with mass-market appeal. Currently a columnist for The Spectator and co-host of the chart-topping podcast The Rest Is History, his work spans:

• Core Beats:
  • Ancient Mediterranean civilizations
  • Religious evolution and secular ethics
  • Cultural transmission across empires
• Pitching Opportunities:
  • Historical analysis of modern social movements
  • Re-examinations of marginalized historical figures
  • Interdisciplinary studies bridging archaeology and digital humanities

"To live in a western country is to live in a society still utterly saturated by Christian concepts and assumptions."

Achievements Highlight

• Translated Herodotus for Penguin Classics (2013)
• Chair of Society of Authors (2018-2020)
• Regular contributor to BBC Radio 4’s Making History

When approaching Holland, emphasize understudied historical connections and avoid presentist analyses lacking deep temporal context. His career demonstrates that the most urgent stories are often those we’ve forgotten to remember.