WNYC's It's A Free Country and WNPR present "Funny, But True: Blogging the 2012 Election" Panel at Central Connecticut State Univeresity

WNPR and WNYC’s It’s A Free Country present

Funny, But True: Blogging the 2012 Election

A Panel Exploring the Presidential Campaign’s Most Memorable Moments to Date and an Insightful Look Ahead

Wednesday, April 11 at 4:30pm at Central Connecticut State University
Free and Open to the Public

(NEW YORK, NY – April 4, 2012) – The race for president has taken us on a long, eventful and often amusing road. From gaffes on the campaign trail to bizarre exchanges on the debate stage, the candidates have given bloggers and late night talk show hosts a goldmine of material.

Join reporters and bloggers from It's A Free Country (IAFC), WNYC’s award-winning interactive politics site, and Comedy Central’s Indecision, the network’s Webby Award-winning digital extension of its politics coverage, for a whirlwind look back at the campaign so far – and some insight into what's ahead. During the lively conversation, panelists will present their picks for the funniest and most illuminating video highlights of the race and take questions from the audience. The event will be recorded for future broadcast on WNPR.

The event will be hosted by JOHN DANKOSKY, News Director and Host of Where We Live on WNPR, and the Robert C. Vance Endowed Chair in Journalism and Mass Communication at CCSU.

PANELISTS INCLUDE:

ANNA SALE, Reporter, It's a Free Country – Sale covers the 2012 election for IAFC, with a focus on voter voices. She appears regularly on WNYC’s Brian Lehrer Show and The Takeaway, and has also contributed to NPR, Marketplace, Slate, Current TV, and NY1. Follow her on Twitter at @annasale.
MARY PHILLIPS-SANDY, Editorial Producer, Comedy Central’s Indecision –Phillips-Sandy started writing for Indecision in 2008 and became the site’s full-time editorial producer in 2011. She has also written for the Awl, the Daily, LIFE.com, Bundle, Yankee Pot Roast, the Portland Phoenix and other places. Follow her on Twitter at @maryps.
JEFF YANG, Blogger, It’s a Free Country – Yang is the Pop and Politics blogger for IAFC and also writes the “Tao Jones” column for the Wall Street Journal online. Follow him on Twitter @originalspin.
KAROL MARKOWICZ, Blogger, It’s a Free Country – Born in the Soviet Union and raised in Brooklyn, Markowicz is a public relations consultant in NYC and a veteran of Republican campaigns in four states. She blogs about politics at Alarming News and about life in the city with her husband and baby at 212 Baby.

WHAT:           Funny, But True: Blogging the 2012 Election
WHEN:           Wednesday, April 11 from 4:30 to 6pm
WHERE:        Central Connecticut State University
Vance Academic Center 105
1615 Stanley Street
New Britain, CT 06050
TICKETS:      FREE and Open to the Public.
Facebook users may RSVP at https://www.facebook.com/events/419336234747758/.

It’s A Free Country is WNYC’s political website, focused on redefining the world of politics in an engaging and illuminating way. Through original feature reporting, a heavy use of image-driven explainers, live events and provocative but civic opinion pieces, IAFC builds a diverse, interactive community around the idea that we all have a stake – and a say – in the political conversation. For more information, visit http://itsafreecountry.org.

Comedy Central’s Indecision is the digital extension of the network’s politics coverage, which began on television in 1992 when comedian Al Franken covered President George H. W. Bush’s State of the Union Address. In 1999, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart adopted the “Indecision” brand for its trademark election coverage, launching the show’s wildly popular “Indecision” segments. In 2007, Comedy Central created Indecision, an online destination for political comedy and election coverage. After barnstorming through the 2008 presidential election, the site continued into the 2010 midterms and beyond, with a mix of daily blog posts and original video during election years and off-years alike. In 2011 Comedy Central’s Indecision won the Webby Award for Best Political Blog.

# # #