Comedy in Another Perilous Time
Join us for a riveting conversation with acclaimed journalist and fellow Silurian David Margolick about his new biography of Sid Caesar, the pioneering TV comedian who lit up America’s screens during one of its darkest political chapters.
In When Caesar Was King, Margolick explores how Caesar and his legendary team of writers (including Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, and Neil Simon) created fearless, subversive comedy in a time when many artists were silenced:
- What did it mean to be funny when the government was watching?
- How did Caesar navigate the paranoia and censorship of the 1950's McCarthy era?
In this timely conversation with
Tony Guida, Margolick will draw connections between Caesar’s era and today’s political climate.
History Repeats:
Julian Zelizer on Power, Presidents, and the Press
By David A. Andelman
Seventeen years ago, Richard Galant, then managing editor of CNN Opinion, called the historian of the United States Senate. He was looking for someone to comment on the unusual fact that two senators, Barack Obama and John McCain, were running against each other for President. Galant was directed to Princeton’s Julian Zelizer, “one of the leading political historians of our time.”
Now, 17 years later, Galant introduced Zelizer at October’s Silurian luncheon
noting that
the historian’s “ability to recall the whole of American political history, going back more than a century is extremely impressive.”
News Media News
Journalism and AI
Love it or fear it, Artificial Intelligence is rapidly being integrated in newsrooms around the world in a variety of ways, even as the technology upends and challenges online news business models. Here you will find links to articles, clips and videos that will be updated from time to time to help better understand this accelerating trend.
Recent Guests/Speakers
History Repeats: Julian Zelizer on Power, Presidents, and the Press
By David A. Andelman
Seventeen years ago, Richard Galant, then managing editor of CNN Opinion, called the historian of the United States Senate. He was looking for someone to comment on the unusual fact that two senators, Barack Obama and John McCain, were running against each other for President. Galant was directed to Princeton’s Julian Zelizer, “one of the leading political historians of our time.”
Now, 17 years later, Galant introduced Zelizer at October’s Silurian luncheon noting that the historian’s “ability to recall the whole of American political history, going back more than a century is extremely impressive.”
Molly Jong Fast on Mothers, Memoirs, and Mayhem
By David A. Andelman
As the great columnist and Silurian Joyce Wadler observed, when your grandfather was Howard Fast who wrote Spartacus and went to jail for refusing to name names to the HUAC, your father is novelist Jonathan Fast, and your mother is Erica Jong, whose book Fear of Flying sold over 22 million copies, you’ve got to have no small amount of chutzpah, let alone talent, to write about them—and yourself.
That's just what Molly Jong-Fast did.
Mike Kandel at 95: Unfiltered and Unforgettable
By Mel Laytner
The Silurians Press Club is no stranger to legendary journalists, but few can hold a room with the charm, wit, and sheer force of intellect that is Myron “Mike” Kandel.
And The Awards Go To...
Silurians 2025 Excellence in Journalism Awards Honor Local Reporting in 16 Categories
The 80th annual Excellence in Journalism Awards was celebrated with a festive dinner on June 18 at the historic National Arts Club in New York City, honoring outstanding work across 16 categories spanning print, broadcast, and online journalism. The event showcased the enduring strength and diversity of New York-area journalism.
The Silurian Archives
Silurians YouTube channel — 120+ videos of speakers and events.
