RealClearPolitics

RealClearPolitics
Web address realclearpolitics.com
Slogan Opinion, News, Analysis, Videos and Polls
Type of site
 Aggregator
Registration Optional
Available in English
Owner RealClear Holdings LLC, of which Forbes Media has a 51% interest
Created by John McIntyre, Tom Bevan
Launched 2000
Revenue Unknown
Alexa rank
 negative increase 4,096 (March 2014)[1]
Current status Online

RealClearPolitics (RCP) is a Chicago-based political news and polling data aggregator formed in 2000[2] by former options trader John McIntyre and former advertising agency account executive Tom Bevan.[3][4][5] The site's founders say their goal is to give readers "ideological diversity".[6]

Forbes Media LLC bought a 51% equity interest in the site in 2007.[7] RCP has expanded to include a number of sister sites. Politico Executive Editor Jim VandeHei has called the site "an essential stop for anyone interested in politics".[8]

Origin and philosophy

Origin

The web site was founded in 2000 by McIntyre, a former trader at the Chicago Board Options Exchange, and Bevan, a former advertising agency account executive.[4] McIntyre explained "it really wasn't any more complicated than there should be a place online that pulled together all this quality information".[9] They call what they do "intelligent aggregation".[10] The site has grown in election-season spurts since it first went online. It has expanded from a two-man operation to a full-time staff of more than two-dozen employees overseeing the company's mainstay, RealClearPolitics, as well as ten smaller sites.

Philosophy

In an interview with the Chicago Tribune, McIntyre said, "We're trying to pull together the best political stories, op-eds, news analyses, editorials out there. The proliferation of content is enormous. Part of what we're trying to do is distill it in a clear, simple way for people who don't have hours to spend searching the Net".[8] He told the Chicago Sun-Times that RealClearPolitics strives to feature "serious intellectual pieces" and that they're "not looking for the over-the-top, vitriolic, red-meat craziness on either side".[11]

Patrick Stack of Time magazine has described the site's commentary section as "right-leaning".[12] The site has been described as being run by conservatives, and containing "opinion pieces from multiple media sources".[13] In 2009 RealClearPolitics was described as a weblog "in the conservative pantheon" by Richard Davis[14][15]

In an interview with the conservative magazine Human Events, McIntyre described the philosophy behind the Web site as based on "freedom" and "common-sense values". Said Bevan, "We think debate on the issues is a very important thing. We post a variety of opinions". He further stated, "we have a frustration all conservatives have", which is "the bias in media against conservatives, religious conservatives, [and] Christian conservatives".[3]

In a 2001 article for Princeton Alumni Weekly, which noted that "The articles selected invariably demonstrate McIntyre and Bevan's political bent, about which they are unabashedly forthcoming." McIntyre said, "I'm not really a die-hard Republican because my interests are less on social issues, more on taxing and spending...But I definitely don't want the government telling me what to do with my property...Nevertheless, any political junkie—even a liberal—would enjoy our site because the topics we choose are current."[16]

RealClearPolitics was listed among conservative political weblogs in a 2005 conference paper on mapping the political blogosphere by Robert Ackland of the Australian Centre for Social Research.[17]

Format

Updated continuously, RealClearPolitics' websites aggregate content from a wide range of sources, sources that run the gamut of locations and political persuasions. Stories from the Washington Post and other large-circulation media frequently run alongside articles from such lesser-known papers as the Ottawa Citizen, while analyses from the liberal New Republic may be paired with more conservative publications such as the Weekly Standard. McIntyre's purported objective is "to give readers ideological diversity. We're trying to stay immersed in the nation's political bloodstream at all times. That way, we can show you every small, little twist and turn, and give multiple sides to every story".[6]

Ownership

Forbes Media announced on November 7, 2007, that it had acquired a 51% stake in RealClearPolitics.com. The founders will remain owners and management.[7] In November, 2008, Forbes President and CEO Steve Forbes sent a memo directing that the company's online brands, including Forbes.com, Investopedia, and RealClearPolitics.com be combined.[18]

RealClearPolitics also owns RealClearMarkets, RealClearWorld, and RealClearSports.[19] RealClearMarkets and RealClearSports were launched in November 2007. RealClearWorld, the international news and politics site, was launched in August 2008. RealClearScience and RealClearReligion launched in October 2010.[20] RealClearHistory launched in 2012; in 2013 RealClearDefense was launched to cover military, intelligence, and veterans issues.[21]

Original content

In addition to linking to external content, RealClearPolitics also provides original commentary and reporting, with a staff consisting of Carl Cannon, Scott Conroy, Erin McPike, Caitlin Huey-Burns, Alexis Simendinger, and Sean Trende.

The site's political commentary, election analysis and polling averages have been featured in national media outlets, including the New York Times,[22] Fox News Channel,[22] Investor's Business Daily,[23] and the Chicago Sun-Times.[24] RealClearPolitics polling averages are used on MSNBC's Hardball, Fox News, and the web sites of CBS News and the Washington Post.[25]

Political poll averaging

RealClearPolitics aggregates polls for presidential and congressional races into averages, known as the RealClearPolitics average, which are widely cited by media outlets. New York Times contributor Neil Degrasse Tyson, wrote in an op-ed that "in swing states, the median result of all the polls conducted in the weeks prior to an election is an especially effective predictor of which candidate will win that election—even in states where the polls consistently fall within the margin of error".[26] However, some statisticians say that it is sometimes misleading to average results from multiple polls.[25] When Nate Silver of rival site FiveThirtyEight.com claimed RealClearPolitics.com was rigging its averages to favor Senator John McCain and other Republicans, McIntyre denied having a conservative bent, stating, "We're running a business, We have no interest in screwing around with that for partisan purposes".[27] Silver later backed away from the claim and said the two sites had a friendly rivalry and grudging respect for each other.[27]

References

  1. ↑ "Realclearpolitics.com Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved 2014-03-01.
  2. ↑ "Polling Averages". RealClearPolitics. April 21, 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-21.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 D'Agostino, Joseph A. (31 March 2003). "Conservative Spotlight: Real Clear Politics". Human Events 59 (11): 16.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Zorn, Eric (October 26, 2004). "Political site polls well with election junkies". Chicago Tribune: Metro, p. 1.
  5. ↑ Wolinsky, Howard (September 18, 2006). "Politicking pays off: Web site a must-read for political fanatics". Chicago Sun-Times: 55.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "On Web, Political Junkies Make a Real Clear Choice". The New York Sun. March 10, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-08.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Forbes Media Acquires Fifty-One Percent Stake in RealClearPolitics.com". www.businesswire.com. Retrieved 2009-11-05.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Johnson, Steve (February 7, 2008). "Real Clear Politics real clear on its growth, mission". Chicago Tribune.
  9. ↑ Wolgemuth, Liz (December 12, 2007). "Political Junkies Spawn a Real, Clear Success". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
  10. ↑ "Real Clear Politics Real Clear on its Growth, Mission". The Chicago Tribune. February 7, 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
  11. ↑ Pallasch, Abdon (May 29, 2012). "Popular, Chicago-based political news website run by two family guys". Chicago Sun-Times.
  12. ↑ Stack, Patrick (October 14, 2004). "Cheat Sheet: Election Websites". Time. Archived from the original on October 16, 2004. Retrieved 2009-07-15. RealClearPolitics.com scores points for its in-depth, right-leaning commentary section
  13. ↑ Steffen Schmidt, Mack Shelley, Barbara Bardes, Cengage Advantage Books: American Government and Politics Today p.140 google.com Cengage Learning, 2012
  14. ↑ Richard Davis, Typing Politics: The Role of Blogs in American Politics p.54 2009 Oxford University Pressgoogle.com
  15. ↑ Richard Davis, Politics Online: Blogs, Chatrooms, and Discussion Groups in American Democracy p.43 2013 Routledgegoogle.com
  16. ↑ Rob MacKay, "Political junkies create Web site for opinion and analysis" June 6, 2001 Princeton Alumni Weekly princeton.edu
  17. ↑ "Mapping the U.S. Political Blogosphere: Are Conservative Bloggers More Prominent"anu.edu.auanu.edu.au May 2005 BlogTalk Downunder 2005 Conference, Sydney
  18. ↑ "Forbes to combine print and online staffs, cuts jobs :: BtoB Magazine". www.btobonline.com. Retrieved 2009-11-04.
  19. ↑ Gustafson, Colin (March 10, 2008). "On Web, Political Junkies Make a Real Clear Choice". New York Sun. Retrieved 2008-03-25.
  20. ↑ New RealClear Sites Launching Today - Real Clear Politics – TIME.com
  21. ↑
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Cart, Bill; Jacques Steinberg (November 7, 2006). "The 2006 Campaign: Election Night Viewing Includes Web's Bells and Whistles". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-07-17.
  23. ↑ Barnako, Frank (December 15, 2004). "Best blogs of 2004". Investor's Business Daily (archived version). Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-07-17.
  24. ↑ Bevan, Tom (May 18, 2007). "Don't count out McCain just yet". The Chicago Sun-Times (archived version). Archived from the original on 2007-10-06. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Bialik, Carl (February 15, 2008). "Election Handicappers Are Using Risky Tool: Mixed Poll Averages". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2008-08-08.
  26. ↑ "Vote by Numbers". The New York Times. June 6, 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-30.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Becker, Bernie (2008-10-28). "Political Polling Sites Are in a Race of Their Own". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-11-07.

External links