Regulation of religious beliefs is a tricky topic to discuss because of how different the U.S. is from other countries in the world. The foundation of the U.S. is founded on providing freedoms to its people: freedom of press, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom to petition the government, and freedom of religion. These base freedoms extend into other protected freedoms like privacy and expression. The freedom to express religion is a key factor in the U.S. so, it’s reasonable for my opinion on this matter to vary from someone else’s who’s had a different experience especially those in countries where there is one dominant religion. Concerning the media, here, the media isn’t shy about expressing a particular message or no message at all; it is up to the will of the people and those who control the media networks on whether they want to express a specific religious message.
There are forms of religious expression regulation seen in other countries. I think a form of this regulation can extend as far as allowing anyone to practice what they believe but, the regulation comes in when that religious belief is forced on to someone who 1) doesn’t believe in the same thing or 2) doesn’t have a belief at all. Do I believe there is a good argument for these regulations, no I don’t think so. I think it’s hard to make an argument for the regulation of religion beyond what was stated. I believe that religious regulation within the media is a different topic.
I do believe there is room for regulation of religion in the media. Regulation of religion in the media is important because the media and journalists should be providing the people with unbiased information and neutral positions. When religion does enter the conversation alongside politics and media, I believe it should be held in a neutral light similar to how political opinions are (sometimes) held. This is not to say that journalists and activists and whoever else can’t have a religious opinion or belief but when it comes to providing the best source of information in a country that’s already heavily regulated, staying neutral will reach a broader audience and spread information faster.