Need a laugh this election season? Join the News Literacy Project’s ‘Satire Summit 2016’
In the middle of the highly contentious 2016 presidential campaign, sometimes the only thing left to do is laugh — and there’s no reason to do it alone.
Join the News Literacy Project and a panel of prominent journalists and entertainers for “Satire Summit 2016: Beyond Parody?” — a night of jokes, jabs and a deeper look into the growing role of political satire in the news.
A cast of comedy’s brightest stars, all of whom are serious about satire and its impact, will be on hand at The New School’s John L. Tishman Auditorium, 63 Fifth Ave. in New York City, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 14.
The event — co-sponsored by WNYC and The New School — is the brainchild of Peter Sagal, host of the NPR quiz show Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell Me! and a Satire Summit panelist. He will be joined byAlexandra Petri, author of The Washington Post’s ComPost blog and a weekly political satire column; Jordan Carlos, a Comedy Central writer formerly with The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore; and Chad Nackers, the head writer for The Onion. Brian Stelter, the host of CNN’s Reliable Sources, is the moderator.
“We look forward to an evening that is as informative as it is entertaining,” said Alan C. Miller, NLP’s president and CEO. “We could not imagine better timing for such a talented group to tackle this topic.”
The panelists will reflect on the growing role of political humor in calling out hypocrisy, mendacity and venality in our nation’s public life, and in holding the powerful, including the news media, accountable.
After all, as Sagal suggested, “What could be more fun than a bunch of comedians sitting around talking about something serious?” At NLP, we think the answer is: Not much.“Many of today’s students connect to the news through political satire,” Miller said. “We view the Satire Summit as a timely and engaging way to explore these connections in the context of a presidential campaign that has elevated the role of political humor to new heights.”
Tickets for the Satire Summit 2016 are available for purchase; discounts are available for students and people 62 and older. Follow along and join in on the excitement at #satiresummit16.