[1] They were described as "especially brave at taking on powerful institutions and persistent about getting stories out...journalists and activists who persevere in fighting censorship and protecting the First Amendment," and "understanding the Christian Right's recent strategy of stealth politics early on, and or doggedly tracking its activities across the U.S." He has also published articles with Salon.com, Ms. magazine, The Christian Science Monitor, The Public Eye, and other publications.
He is best known in recent years for breaking the story of,[2] and his follow-up reporting on Project Blitz,[3][4][5] a national Christian Right state legislative campaign, in the online magazine Religion Dispatches.
His notable interviews as a journalist have been with former U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich in In These Times,[6] comedy writer Jane Bussmann,[7] Sudanese Anglican Bishop Andudu Adam Elnail,[8] General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ John C. Dorhauer,[9] and historian John Ragosta in Religion Dispatches.
The progressive journalist and Southern raconteur Joe Bageant, wrote in his book Deer Hunting with Jesus: Dispatches from America's Class War,[12] “Fred Clarkson, a New England Yankee with a streak of liberty a mile wide, has been thinking and writing about this longer than anybody I know.” He has often been cited by major media, including such major newspapers as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Christian Science Monitor, Los Angeles Times and The Guardian.
[13] His radio appearances include NPR's Fresh Air, Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Talk of the Nation, Democracy Now, and State of Belief.