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The New Yorker College Tour 2005 comes
to the Department of Communication
Posted: 11.27.05
Click images for larger versions...
November 16
 Students
in Professor Roger Simpson's Advanced Reporting class had the
opportunity to spend two hours talking to Rick Hertzberg. Hertzberg
was a New Yorker Talk of the Town reporter from 1969
to 1977, before moving to Washington, where he served as a speechwriter
for President Jimmy Carter and as the editor of The New Republic.
He returned to The New Yorker in 1992 as an editor and
writer and is the principal contributor to the Comment section
of the magazine. His book, "Politics: Observations & Arguments,"
was recently published in paperback.
Professor Simpson has this to say about the visit:
"Rick Hertzberg's time with our advanced reporting course provided
rich insights into, among many things, the role of a white house
speech writer, a magazine writer under different managers, an
analyst of political, military, and social issues, and how to
write under deadline pressure. Scheduled for one hour, Rick
actually spent two hours with us, and it was time well spent."
November 16
 In
between a lecture at the HUB and a reading and book signing
at the University Book Store, George Packer spoke with a dozen
of the journalism students about his "winding" career path.
Packer joined the Peace Corps after graduating Yale in Renaissance
Studies, an experience that changed his mind about pursuing
an academic career and one he wrote about in his book "The Village
of Waiting." Packer encouraged students to spend time overseas
and to pursue writing and journalism outside of the U.S. to
pick up the kinds of skills and clips that would serve them
well on their return. Packer also spoke of his political influences
and encouraged students to find their voice through finding
their passions.
Packer has been a staff writer at The New Yorker since
2003, and he reports regularly from Iraq. This year, his subjects
have included the Iraqi elections and the tensions between religious
and secular groups in Basra; the father of a soldier killed
in Iraq; and the Bush Administration's "war on terror" strategy.
He is the author of "The Village of Waiting," "Blood of the
Liberals," and, most recently, "The Assassins' Gate: America
in Iraq."
November 17
 Before
heading over to the HUB for a stand-up gig, Andy Borowitz took
time out of busy schedule to talk to News Lab students. Borowitz
has contributed humor and fact pieces to The New Yorker
since 1998. He was awarded the Angele Gringas Humor Award of
the National Press Club last year, the first time the award
has been given for humor, and his online column, The Borowitz
Report, has won six About.com Political Dot-Comedy Awards. His
most recent book, "The Borowitz Report: The Big Book of Shockers,"
is a finalist for the 2005 Thurber Prize for American Humor.
His other books include "Governor Arnold: A Photodiary of His
First 100 Days in Office," "Who Moved My Soap?: The CEO's Guide
to Surviving in Prison," and "The Trillionaire Next Door: The
Greedy Investor's Guide." He was the creator and executive producer
of the TV series "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," for which he
won an N.A.A.C.P. Image Award, and produced the film "Pleasantville."
Department of Communication News Lab student Zach Landres-Schnur
wrote more about Borowitz's visit...
Comic Andy Borowitz Visits UW
By Zach Landres-Schnur
UW News Lab
The University of Washington likely laughed more than usual
last Thursday.
As part of the New Yorker College Tour that took place
last week, comedian and satirist Andy Borowitz was on campus
Thursday. He made three appearances in the HUB Auditorium –
a standup comedy performance, a seminar called “Writing
Funny” and a workshop titled “Unscripted Comedy
and Conversation.”
He also made a stop in the UW News Laboratory to talk with
a journalism class. He regaled the class with stories about
his background, talking about life as a comedy writer and offering
advice for the aspiring writers.
Borowitz’s Web site, borowitzreport.com,
has a daily satirical column that is often published by The
New Yorker, Newsweek.com
and the New York Times. Borowitz estimated that he
has written more than 1,000 columns in his career.
“I’m always writing about the top story in the
country,” he said. “I want to make fun of things
everybody knows about.”
Some of his recent columns have made fun of Martha Stewart,
Tom Cruise firing his sister as his publicist, and, of course,
the White House.
“We’ve elevated the trivial to the same level as
the important,” he said about the state of the news.
But when the news is more hard-hitting?
“Escapism becomes very important in serious times,”
said Borowitz.
Borowitz studied English at Harvard University and was the
editor of the Harvard Lampoon — a humor magazine —
while there. He also performed standup comedy around the Boston
area while a student.
After graduation, Borowitz got a break and found himself in
Hollywood working with sitcom writers. He is credited with creating
the hit TV show, “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.”
He has written several books, his latest being a compilation
of his most popular columns, “The Borowitz Report: The
Big Book of Shockers.”
He also appears on CNN’s American Morning, NPR's Morning
Edition and ABC’s Good Morning America. He was the winner
of the first-ever National Press Club Award for Humor.
Despite no formal journalism background besides editing his
high school newspaper, Borowitz said, “I really have to
think about the things journalists would think about,”
referring to the lead, middle and conclusion of an article
Asked why he writes satire: “I’m much better making
things up than reporting,” he said. “It’s
showbiz. Leave them laughing.”
He certainly left UW laughing Thursday.
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