Faculty Spotlight: "Covering Religion" Professor Ari Goldman Wins Lifetime Achievement Award

In September, renowned "Covering Religion" teacher Ari L. Goldman, a professor of journalism at Columbia Journalism School and an alumnus of the Master of Science Program, received the 2020 William A. Reed Lifetime Achievement Award from the Religion News Association in recognition of his exceptional commitment to the field of religion newswriting. 

Professor Goldman is best known at Columbia Journalism School for his legendary Master of Science Program class "Covering Religion," which has trained many of the leading religion reporters working today. In the 15-week class, Professor Goldman teaches his students to write about religion with depth, sensitivity and sophistication. "This is a subject people care deeply about," Professor Goldman explained. "You need to understand how religion is practiced and how it motivates people - not only devout people, but people who send their kids to school, who vote, and who may have been influenced, even in ways they don't fully realize, by religion."

With the support of a generous grant from the Scripps Howard Foundation, students in his class often take - at no cost - a weeklong study-tour of a country to report on how religions are practiced there. In previous years, the class has traveled to such places as India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Palestine, Russia, and Ukraine. Upon their return to campus, students write and produce the stories that they worked on during their travels. You can explore the class's recent and past reporting on the Covering Religion website. 

Professor Goldman first arrived at Columbia as a member of the Master of Science Program's Class of 1973. "I came here because I wanted to learn the craft and I wanted to broaden my horizons," he explained. "I felt that I was brought up in a limited world and a limited community, and journalism was my ticket to the world, and to learn about the whole world. We had a dean here once who said that journalism is the 'traffic circle of ideas,' and this is a place where all the ideas run through. That suited me because I love to learn about different ideas and learn how to write about them."

After graduating from Columbia, Professor Goldman spent 20 years as a reporter at The New York Times, most of it on the religion beat. He also covered New York State politics, transportation and education. Professor Goldman has also authored four books: The Search for God at Harvard,  Living a Year of Kaddish: A Memoir, Being Jewish, and The Late Starters Orchestra. 

In 1993, Professor Goldman returned to Columbia to teach, and has been a member of the faculty ever since. "I wanted to give something back," he said. "I wanted to work with young people. I wanted to be in an academic environment and shape the next generation of journalists. As much as I loved having bylines and writing my own articles as a journalist, I love seeing my students flourish. I love seeing them get bylines. I love seeing them build careers." 


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