Nobody Hated Dolly || Michael Reneau on Faith, Home, and the Craft of Editing

Nobody Hated Dolly || Michael Reneau on Faith, Home, and the Craft of Editing

Author: Scan Media, LLC September 8, 2026 Duration: 1:12:18
A newspaper editor from East Tennessee on why Dolly Parton was one of the last people almost everyone agreed on, and what that says about faith, place, and the work of editing well.Michael Reneau, executive editor at The Dispatch, joins Corey to talk about growing up 50 miles from where Dolly Parton was raised, and what her death revealed about a country that still finds a handful of people impossible to dislike. The conversation moves from Appalachia and Hurricane Helene to Bryan College, Flannery O'Connor, and the hardest thing Michael has ever watched his parents live through.Calls to Action✅ Leave a rating and review: lovethepodcast.com/politicsandreligion✅ Subscribe on Substack: coreysnathan.substack.com✅ Watch and subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@politicsandreligion✅ Share this episode with someone who still thinks "dominionism" is a fringe word.Key takeawaysDolly Parton's death pulled praise from across the political spectrum, and Michael sees that as a clue about what Appalachia's isolation and hardship actually produced: solidarity, not the caricature.Editing longer-form work, learned in part from mentor Marvin Olasky, means being ruthless about finding a story's essence, and Michael treats AI strictly as a tool, never as a substitute for that judgment.The formative event of Michael's faith was watching his parents grieve his infant sister's death and hold onto their belief anyway, not any theological argument he later studied.About Michael ReneauMichael Reneau is executive editor at The Dispatch, where he oversees editing across the newsroom. Before joining The Dispatch in 2022, he was editor of World Magazine, and prior to that spent several years as editor and writer for an award-winning daily newspaper in East Tennessee. He lives in Greeneville, Tennessee, with his wife and four kids.LinksThe Dispatch: thedispatch.comMichael's tribute to Dolly Parton: thedispatch.com/article/dolly-parton-tennessee-music-philanthropyConnect with usSubstack: coreysnathan.substack.comYouTube: youtube.com/@politicsandreligionInstagram, Threads, Bluesky, X, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn: @coreysnathanPartnersProud to be part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts examining what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.Nobody agrees on much these days. Dolly was the exception. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In a world where discussions about faith and government often devolve into shouting matches, Talkin‘ Politics & Religion Without Killin‘ Each Other offers a different space. This podcast from Scan Media, LLC operates on a radical idea: that we can deeply disagree on fundamental beliefs while still respecting each other as people. It’s a show built for those who feel exhausted by the performative outrage and tribal warfare that dominate news and social media, who suspect there’s more nuance to every story than the extreme voices allow. Each episode models the kind of dialogue that seems in short supply-conversations where curiosity replaces condemnation and listening is the first step, not a lost art. You’ll hear explorations of how spiritual values intersect with civic life, examinations of current events without the predictable partisan spin, and genuine attempts to understand perspectives that challenge the hosts' own. The goal isn’t to reach a bland consensus, but to prove that thoughtful, even passionate, debate doesn’t require personal animosity. If you’re looking for a podcast that tackles the subjects we’re told to avoid, but does so with humility and a commitment to civil discourse, this is that rare find. It’s for anyone who believes these conversations are too critical to be left solely to the screamers and who wants to engage with the messy, important intersections of news, religion, and spirituality without leaving their humanity at the door.
Author: Episodes: 50

Talkin‘ Politics & Religion Without Killin‘ Each Other
Podcast Episodes
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