Hard-hit journalists seek laughs for good cause

Their profession is experiencing a tragedy, but Washington journalists will be looking for laughs as they compete for the prize of the city's "funniest" and raise funds for journalism-related charities.

The second annual Commedia del Media on April 8 at the National Press Club is about finding humor for an industry that has suffered its shares of woes, with mass layoffs adding to the longstanding problems of dangerous conditions for journalists worldwide.

"It started when the media industry started hemorrhaging" jobs, said Christina Davidson, a book editor and writer who organized the event. "We decided the media industry needed a laugh."

Journalists at work. Source: Google

Proceeds from the event go to the Committee to Protect Journalists/Journalist Assistance Fund, which supports journalists facing threats or violence; the Eric Friedheim National Journalism Library, which offers training; and Reporters Without Borders, which fights against censorship and for journalists' rights.

"The distinction between journalism and comedy is a slight one," said Jamila Bey, a producer at National Public Radio and one of the contestants. "They're both about timing and they're both about truth."

Bey said she considers herself "a storyteller" who draws humor from her own life.

"My mother gives me more material than I could get in a lifetime," she said.

Rival contestant Walter Shapiro, a columnist for Politics Daily who has dabbled in stand-up comedy, said he planned to come up with a new routine in the two weeks before the event.

"One of the things I have been thinking about is how dark to get about the state of the profession," Shapiro said.

"People want to laugh. This is not a moment to cry. And if there are some useful tips about how to prepare for future careers as Wal-Mart greeters, maybe I can help."

But seriously, Shapiro said journalists and comedians share some traits: "Comedians are disrespectful of authority, and journalists are disrespectful of authority."

Jamie McIntyre of Military.com, a former CNN correspondent, said he is intrigued by the "absurdity" of some news coverage and draws on his experiences for comedy.

"These days, it's nearly impossible to do a parody of television news that can't be mistaken for the real thing," he said. "Sometimes more truth comes through in comedy than in 'straight' journalism."

Other participants in the competition include Rich Edson of Fox Business Network, Melissa Bell of the Washington Post, and McClatchy Newspapers correspondent Nancy Youssef.

Youssef said she gained reputation as a "smartmouth" covering the Pentagon and before that, covering the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. AFP