Gallagher: First Natl. TV Correspondent Covering Religion Since Wehmeyer?

Aaron Barnhart weighs in on CNN’s naming of Delia Gallagher as “faith and values correspondent:”

“So far as I know, Gallagher is the first national TV news correspondent covering the religion beat since Peggy Wehmeyer was employed by Peter Jennings at ABC 11 years ago. I’d like to think CNN’s Jon Klein got the idea from Peter — as long as he’s stealing ideas, he might as well steal good ones. If there’s one question mark, it’s how she’ll cover evangelicals and fundamentalists, who are such a different breed of believer from Catholics that it requires practically a different mindset. Wehmeyer had as good a grasp of that world (maybe too good) as Gallagher appears to have of Catholicism. I hope CNN gives its new correspondent enough time to do a good job, perhaps letting her produce a documentary or two, instead of the usual Sunday yawners they do on cancer or 9/11…hers I might actually watch.”