rnshistorybar_480

Our Mission and History

Our Mission

RNS' first priority is to provide intelligent, objective coverage of all religions-Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Asian religions and private spirituality. RNS also provides commentary from a diverse array of all points of the political and theological spectrum.

Our History

For nearly 75 years, Religion News Service has been an authoritative source of news about religion, ethics, spirituality and moral issues. Based in Washington, D.C., RNS has a network of correspondents around the world, providing news and information on all faiths and religious movements to the nation's leading newspapers, news magazines, broadcast organizations and religious publications. RNS' first priority is to provide intelligent, objective coverage of all religions-Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Asian religions and private spirituality. RNS also provides commentary from a diverse array of all points of the political and theological spectrum.Louis Minsky founded RNS in 1934 under the auspices of the National Conference of Christians and Jews. From the start, RNS (then known as Religious News Service) was dedicated to providing authoritative and bias-free news about religion and ethics to both the secular and religious press.

In 1983, RNS was acquired by the Dallas-based United Methodist Reporter and continued to operate as an independent news agency. In 1991, RNS editorial was distributed to the secular press by New York Times Syndicated Features, Inc. In 1994, RNS was purchased by Newhouse News Service (NNS), and its name was changed to Religion News Service. NNS is a company of Advance Publications, a major publisher of daily newspapers, as well the Conde Nast family of magazines, and Parade. Universal Press Syndicate now distributes the service to daily and weekly newspapers in the US.

RNS has been a respected source of foreign and domestic news about religion, covering a number of important issues, including:

Today, RNS's coverage has broadened to include Islam, Asian religions, New Age and tribal beliefs, as well as moral and ethical issues which transcend denominational differences. Among the topics tackled are: