Faces of Faith in Second Life July 21, 2007

Fellows from the News21 journalism initiative and their faculty advisors launch a groundbreaking experiment bringing important journalism and ongoing discussions about faith to Second Life, the innovative virtual community.
The project, developed at the News 21 site at the University of California Graduate School of Journalism, Berkeley is part of the fellowship's 2007 program focusing on Religion and Private Life.
The purpose of the summer effort is to bring new approaches to religion coverage and present that coverage in innovative ways.

The team of journalists from the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley is exploring "God, Sex and Family." That's where choices about marriage, dating, the building of community, family and faith play out in private life. To see the stories as they unfold over the next three weeks, go to www.newsinitiative.org/ucb .

One of our goals is to find new ways to get our work out to a younger, tech-savvy audience. That's why we will be spending the next few weeks in Second Life -- a 3-D virtual world entirely built and owned by its residents. Since opening to the public in 2003, this massive video game of life has grown explosively and today is inhabited by more than eight million residents around the globe.

Starting on Monday, July 23, the programming will be showcased in Second Life on NOWHEREVILLE ISLAND (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Nowhereville/113/81/26/).

"God, Sex, Family" projects will be streamed (video, audio, content) into different tents created to look and feel like a church revival. Reporters will be available in each tent to speak or answer any questions from SL visitors. Dates and times of reporter availabilities will be posted in Second Life or can be obtained by contacting project coordinator Kara Andrade.
The final event will be a panel discussion on Sunday, July 29 from 12-1:30 PM PST held inworld and broadcast live through SLCN, the Second Life Cable Network, http://slcn.tv. Religion writer and News21 Senior Editor Don Lattin will moderate. Panelists include SL worshipers, spiritual leaders, and theologians.
News 21 is a national initiative led by five leading universities (UC Berkeley, USC, Columbia, Northwestern and Harvard) and funded by the Carnegie-Knight Initiative on the Future of Journalism Education. It seeks to prepare the next generation of news industry leaders to work in and cover an increasingly complex world. The program is funded by the Carnegie Corp. of New York and the John and James L. Knight Foundation.

PANEL SCHEDULE
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SCHEDULE: SUNDAY, JULY 29
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Pre-Event Mixer 11:00 AM PST --12:00 PM PST
Live music by BradElectro www.myspace.com/bradelectro
+Free t-shirts and badges
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Event 12:00 PM PST -- 1:30 PM PST
Held inworld and broadcast live through SLCN, the Second Life Cable Network, http://slcn.tv.
Join Don Lattin and a panel of religious/spiritual leaders for a
conversation about faith and spirituality in virtual worlds
Live voice stream
Questions from the SL audience
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Post-Event Reception 1:3O PM PST -- 3:30 PM PST
Live musician BRADELECTRO, Beth Odets and Bob Calo
Free t-shirts

EVENT INFORMATION GROUP:
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Official Website: http://www.newsinitiative.org