In an interview on Fox radio, ABC reporter Elizabeth Vargas — host of the Nov. 3 news special “Jesus, Mary and Da Vinci” — remarked, “I think it is rare for network television to be discussing Jesus and the Bible in depth, and I think it's great to provide this kind of discussion and debate. I don't think that could ever be a bad thing.”

It's debatable that Vargas' special was “in depth,” but she is correct: Major networks rarely examine the roots and history of Christianity.

Then again, maybe we're better off that way: When they do turn their attention to Christ and Christianity, the big broadcast-news organizations almost always slant their coverage toward studied skepticism. Usually they tip their hand by lining up a familiar cast of “experts” as their primary sources.

In June 2000, ABC anchorman Peter Jennings presented “The Search for Jesus” (abcnews.go.com/ onair/jesus). The show was heavily criticized by many Catholics and evangelical Protestants for its heavy reliance on members of the Jesus Seminar, the group of scholars who famously set out to determine the historical accuracy of Christ's words in the Gospels by taking a vote. The seminar's conclusion: The Gospel accounts are fine works of fiction.

Nor is the Public Broadcasting Service above the proclivity for promoting the doubters' side of the story. In 1998, PBS aired a four-hour series titled “From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians”; it was augmented by an extensive Web site, complete with study guides (www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion). The radical ideas of Jesus Seminar participant John Dominic Crossan — a former Catholic priest best known for dismissing the Resurrection with the claim that Jesus’ body was eaten by wild dogs — and Elaine Pagels, feminist author of The Gnostic Gospels, were on full display, alongside the observations of other “progressive” scholars.

The Arts & Entertainment channel aired a four-part documentary series, “Christianity: The First Two Thousand Years,” in 1998; this was followed in 2000 by the second part, “Christianity: The Second Two Thousand Years.” Like the Jennings and PBS programs, A&E relied disproportionately on members of the Jesus Seminar as well as media darling Pagels.

There have been some signs of hope. In April, the History Channel aired a four-part series, “In the Footsteps of Jesus,” which examined the “lost youth” of Jesus, his ministry and his passion. This series was praised for being far more balanced than the ABC and PBS programs. Whether this ends up being the start of a trend in the right direction or an anomaly remains to be seen. Unlike the Gospel, the history of the network news organizations is a work in progress.

— Carl E. Olson