Dikkers will discuss “The Real Story of Fake News” in what promises to be a hilarious and insightful lecture presented by the Mark Twain Lecture Series on American Humor and Culture. General admission tickets are available for the public for $8 per person by visitinghttp://www.smcm.edu/events/calendar/11th-annual-twain-lecture-scott-dikkers/. Advance reservations for tickets are required. Pre-ordered tickets can be picked up at will call in the recreation center beginning at 6 p.m. the evening of the event. The doors open at 7 p.m. and all seating is first come, first served.
In “The Real Story of Fake News,” Dikkers will chronicle the early years and influence of The Onion. He will examine the mayhem that he and his ragtag band of college dropouts who founded The Onion nearly 30 years ago have wrought on current events, modern politics, and satirical news outlets such as “Saturday Night Live” and “The Daily Show.” He’ll look at the rise of fake news online through the prism of The Onion’s founding, how he helped to redefine satire in the last quarter century, leading to the 2016 presidential election and the ethical dilemmas journalists face today, when the public accepts fake news as real. With the tools of a journalist and the savvy of a comedian, Dikkers will help us make sense of the nonsense.
Along with being the founding editor of The Onion, the satirical news website and its predecessor, the Onion newspaper, Dikkers is a number one New York Times bestselling author and editor of numerous books, among them The Onion’s “Our Dumb Century” and “Our Dumb World.” His book, “How to Write Funny,” is a step-by-step guide to his process for creating humorous content. For his work with The Onion, its website and other ancillary products, Dikkers earned the #43 spot on Time magazine’s list of the Top 50 “Cyber Elite” in 2005.
St. Mary’s College of Maryland, designated the Maryland state honors college in 1992, is ranked one of the best public liberal arts schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Approximately 1,800 students attend the college, nestled on the St. Mary’s River in Southern Maryland.
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