Conservatives are convinced that Hollywood and the news media are a bunch of liberal elitists who want to trash religion and America. Liberals, on the other hand, believe that the media is owned by large corporate interests trying to manipulate public opinion.

While there is some evidence to support both claims, I find it easier to explain the media by realizing that the principal goal of people running media companies is to make money for themselves and their stockholders.

Media owners are not motivated by principles; they are motivated by market research. They give us what we want. That “we” is very varied. There is a family-friendly niche that loves uplifting stories of faith, so we get “Touched by an Angel.” There is a youth market that wants to see authority figures debunked, so we see stupid and/or evil ministers and priests portrayed. There is the late night cynics’ audience, which holds nothing sacred. Then for those who are always looking for novelty in religion, there are snake-oil programs on the Judas Gospel and the tomb of Jesus.

If people did not watch this trash, the media would not give it to us. There also have been great movies and documentaries on religious topics, many of which are listed on America magazine's website. Many have won awards.

While in the past, news programs were seen as a revenue-losing public service, today they are just another profit center where the distinction between news and entertainment is blurred. If they don’t make money, there are cut backs and changes in programming. Religion gets covered when the market demands it, as in the papal funeral and election. It also gets covered when there is a scandal. But while TV is great at covering Catholic liturgy and religious spectacles, it is terribly weak at covering ideas.

While profit is the principal motivator of media moguls, there is also great ignorance when it comes to religion. Surveys in fact show that the public would like more news coverage of religion. And unlike those covering sports, those covering religion are usually uninformed on the topic yet more people attend houses of worship each week than attend sports events.

But ultimately the American public gets what it wants and deserves. You can vote with your remote or your dollars. Turn on “Religion and Ethics Newsweekly” (http://www.pbs.org/religion), and turn off the trash.