The series will use Zoom technology to facilitate a Q&A session,
much like the one the in-person series has traditionally featured. Since
all events are free and open to the public, the CPC anticipates getting
a more diverse audience from different parts of the country.
The series jumps off on a lighter note, featuring the founder of the satirical news website The Onion.
Scott Dikkers started the humor website in 1996 and has served as the
editor-in-chief, on and off, for the last quarter century. As many who
are familiar with The Onion know, it is a funny, and sometimes
dark, take on the days news written from a satirical perspective. One
recent headline stated Undecided Voter Looking Forward to Learning More about Donald Trump During Campaign, explaining that this voter had seen a few episodes of The Apprentice
but didnt really know much about Trump. Dikkers will provide a lively
presentation and talk with Hoffman about the state of satirical news,
fake news and reality on Wednesday, Sept. 16.
The focus on how media portray politics continues Wednesday, Sept.
30, with a panel of producers and writers (and some surprise guests) who
will discuss Fact versus Fiction. The panel will include writers of Homeland, 24, House of Cards
and other political programs. Audience members who catch up on these
programs can ask a question about their favorite character or plot
twist.
The National Agenda isnt just about the speakers, though. The CPC
also hosts the state of Delawares only official set of debates. This
years debates will take place over two nights on Tuesday-Wednesday,
Oct. 13 and 14. The founding director of the CPC and former director
of National Agenda Ralph Begleiter will be moderating the debates
between candidates running for U.S. House and Senate and Delaware
governor.
The discussion continues Wednesday, Oct. 28 with the co-host of National Public Radios All Things Considered,
Mary Louise Kelly. Kelly launched NPRs intelligence beat in 2004 and
went on to write two espionage novels based on her experience. Before
the pandemic was the main news story, Kelly was famously berated by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo,
who demanded she point out Ukraine on an unmarked map (which she did).
Shell talk with Hoffman about what its been like to cover this White
House administration and how that compares to the past, plus what role
the media play in an era of spreading misinformation and how consumers
can distinguish between real and fake news.
Julia Ioffe, a Russian-born American journalist who covers national
security and foreign policy, will speak on Wednesday, Nov. 11. Ioffe
often appears on national and cable channels as a Russia expert. She is
also the author of the forthcoming Russia Girl. With the election
taking place just eight days before this talk, there should be a lot to
discuss around Russian interference in elections as well as national
security.
Finally, on Wednesday, Nov. 18, National Agenda will round out the
discussion with a post-election panel featuring the senior executive
producer and political editor for C-SPAN, Steve Scully, who also hosts
its morning call-in show, Washington Journal. Joining Scully will be PBS NewsHour
White House correspondent, Yamiche Alcindor. Both speakers have had
experiences dealing with uncivil dialogue from citizens, and even the
president, and will discuss how to talk about politics after this
tumultuous year and election process.
For the full line-up with links to each event, visit the National Agenda website.
Article and illustration by College of Arts and Sciences communications staff; photo by iStock
Published Aug. 21, 2020