Jeremy Lott on Real Clear Religion

tonygill — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 08:00:53 +0000

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How do people get their news about religion? Are there any stereotypes or trends surrounding the reporting of religious news? And which city is better — Fairfax, VA or Lynden, WA? To answer these timeless questions, we invited Jeremy Lott, editor of Real Clear Religion (and a number of other “Real Clear” websites) to discuss the role internet technology has played on how we obtain our information about religion. We begin our conversation by talking about what Real Clear Religion (RCR) does. In short, Real Clear Religion serves as a news portal for news on religion, gathering articles and op-ed pieces from around the interwebs to put it in one handy, easy-to-get-to source. The portal, part of the “Real Clear” network of sites, also contains a blog and original writing by the individuals who manage the site. Through the process of this discussion, Tony learns a new term — intelligent aggregation. Jeremy details the history of the Real Clear network, his background, and how he became involved with RCR. The “nuts and bolts” of the site are then revealed with Jeremy discussing where he plucks the news stories from, how he determines what will be featured, and what the general goal of the website is. Following this, we discuss stereotypes about religion in the media. Our conversation takes an ineresting diversion to the topic of Wikipedia and how that website has changed the way we obtain and digest information. Tony not only lays bare his thoughts on Wikipedia and why academics might not like it, but also reveals that a former student of his created a Wikipedia page for him! After noting that RCR does not want to exclusively talk about religion and politics, but rather see religion as an aspect of human life that is important in-and-of-itself, Tony prompts Jeremy to talk about religion and politics. We do this by examining various media trends, particularly with respect to the upcoming presidential election. We wonder if recent news stories about evangelicals (and the millenial evangelicals) are becoming less involved with politics and whether or not they would vote for a Mormon presidential candidate. Finish off discussing Jeremy’s recent book on hypocrisy and his plans to write about C.S. Lewis and death. Recorded: April 17, 2012.

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Jeremy Lott on Real Clear Religion