Reviewed by: Kirchenrecht in den Medien ed. by Judith Hahn, Thomas Schüller and Christian Wode Michael Nobel Kirchenrecht in den Medien, by Judith Hahn, Thomas Schüller and Christian Wode, eds. Konstanz und München: UVK Verlagsgesellschaft, 2013. Pp. 5–215. The research project “Canon Law in the Media,” sponsored by the Fritz Thyssen Foundation, Germany, is presented in this study. It was carried out in the period from 2011 to 2013 in joint cooperation between the Ruhr-Universität, Bochum and the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Münster. The research identifies the reporting about canon law in various media reports for 2010 presented in the two public, government-funded television [End Page 260] channels in Germany (ARD and ZDF). A total of 480 hours of news material was evaluated. Furthermore, 515 contributions on religion and the Church, and 206 contributions with direct canonical references, were analyzed. As indicated by the editors of the study, 2010 was a year with several very controversial topics in Germany including reports on child abuse cases in ecclesiastical institutions. Chapter one, on “Canon Law and the Media,” identifies the starting point of the research. Chapter two is the leading chapter of the study. It explains the object to be analyzed, the state of research, and the investigation method applied. These three main aspects are the guiding principles for sections explored in chapters three and four and for the overall evaluation. Chapter three contains a general analysis of media reports on religion and the Church. Its subchapters identify the material used, the methodology applied, the evaluation and a conclusion. Chapter four follows the same schema but with special reference to canon law in the media. Chapter five presents four individual canonical observations in detail on: 1) abuse cases; 2) loss of office; 3) moral misconduct; and 4) inter-Christian Eucharistic celebrations. Chapter six outlines tensions between religious law and secular law as presented in public media reports. The study is supplemented by four appendices: explanatory charts; a description of the theory-based development of categories used as research objects; a description of the methodology implemented; and a sample of the methodology used. Furthermore, there are a bibliography, documents and legal sources, jurisprudence, and sources on media reports. This book contains much valuable information and wisdom—canonical and sociological. It is presented in a scientific manner with extensive footnotes when necessary. The methodology adopted serves the purposes of the work well: the editors analyze the media presence of religion and the Church in general, and specifically on canon law and its public reception. The presentation of canon law topics in the media is often done by non-canonists and theologians. Most of the Roman and episcopal documents are presented by journalists. The editors analyzed whether or not the topics presented in the media were accurate or chosen simply because they were popular and thus determined by canonical and theological experts. The editors had access to archival sources, so scholars will benefit from a clear presentation of the background and evolution for each [End Page 261] category presented. The book provides numerous and valuable insights into the media presence of Church-related issues and its reception by the public. Consequently, experienced canonists and novices, as well as sociologists, will find in this book a helpful source of information. [End Page 262] Michael Nobel Saint Paul University Faculty of Canon Law Ottawa, Ontario Copyright © 2014 Catholic University of America Press