NPC Luncheon with Harry Shearer, Comedian

Mar 14 2011

Clock icon WHEN:

Mar 14, 2011 at 12:30pm

Where icon WHERE:

Ballroom

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NPC Luncheon

Harry Shearer, famed voice of “The Simpsons,” “Saturday Night Live” comic, radio host of “Le Show,” and star of the film “This is Spinal Tap,” will accuse the national press of perpetuating media myths in major news coverage at a National Press Club luncheon March 14.

Shearer says he hopes to “enhance the feeling of shame among practitioners” in the press, whom he says have a “blindness to accuracy.” He will argue that the nation’s top editors and producers are “notoriously herd-oriented,
cling to first-draft versions of news stories, and are reluctant to adjust news narratives when new facts come to light.

In his speech, Shearer will address the impact of 24-hour-news cycles, accelerated deadlines, budgetary constraints, and newsroom cutbacks on accuracy in journalism, citing reporting on such stories as the toppling of Saddam Hussein’s statue in Iraq and aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In his documentary “The Big Uneasy” (2010), Shearer chronicled government’s failures that caused catastrophic damage in New Orleans during the hurricane.

Harry Shearer is an actor, known for the many characters he voices on The Simpsons, including Mr. Burns, Smithers and Principal Skinner. He has been a regular cast member on Saturday Night Live and his movie credits include The Right Stuff, The Fisher King, The Truman Show and the 1980s rock mock-umentary, This is Spinal Tap.

The March 14 Press Club luncheon will begin promptly at 12:30 p.m. Remarks by Shearer will begin at 1:00 p.m., followed by a question-and-answer session. Advance reservations should be made through (202) 662-7501 or [email protected]. Of luncheon admission is $18 for National Press Club members, $29 for their guests, and $36 for the general public. Tickets must be purchased at time of reservation.

National Press Club Luncheons are webcast live on press.org. Follow the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #NPCLunch, or on Facebook at (facebook.com/PressClubDC) and Twitter (@PressClubDC). Submit questions for speakers in advance and during the live event by sending them to @QNPCLunch on Twitter. Or email a question in advance, type TURNER/PICKENS in the subject line and send to [email protected] before 10 a.m. on March 14.