Not long ago at a meeting of the nation’s religion writers in Minneapolis, reporters were seething about a particular no-show. President Obama’s point man on religion, Joshua DuBois, had been slated for months to address journalists about “Faith and Politics in the Obama White House.” Then, with less than two weeks to go before his appearance, he suddenly became unavailable.

Instead, he was in Memphis, Tenn., that day, speaking to the National Baptist Convention. Mr. DuBois told me that he had not confirmed he was coming, which was news to the RNA. I organized two of their other panels, and we had to have names in and panelists confirmed by late spring.

(I might add that the substitute panelists gave some delicious quotes about the Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, to which two of them belong and which Mr. DuBois heads. When one reporter asked about the council’s purpose, “We’re just making it up as we go along,” a panelist told her).

Later, I asked one of the organizers why they didn’t publicly chastise Mr. DuBois. The response: They need him as a source and could not afford to alienate him. And so the president’s religion guru gets treated with kid gloves.

Reporters from across the country have been trying to land substantive one-on-ones all year with Mr. DuBois, a charming individual who has a reputation for dodging hard questions. The religious press, such as Christianity Today and the Christian Broadcasting Network, have gotten the best access.

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