Rolling Stone's Chief Political Reporter Speaks at IC (thanks to the Park School's Center for Independent Journalism!)

(Image from Mother Jones, http://www.motherjones.com/news/qa/2005/04/taibbi_265x312.jpg)

Matt Taibbi, the chief political reporter for “Rolling Stone” magazine, will discuss “Independent Journalism Amidst Conformist Media” at 7 p.m. Monday in Emerson Suites, Phillips Hall.

His talk, which is sponsored by Ithaca College’s Park Center for Independent Media (PCIM), is free and open to the public.

Taibbi will also speak in classes and meet with students during his campus visit.

Often compared to Hunter S. Thompson, Taibbi (pronounced tie-‘ee-bee) swept onto the national scene with his critical yet entertaining reporting on the 2004 presidential campaign, which resulted in the acclaimed book “Spanking the Donkey: On the Campaign Trail with the Democrats.” His most recent book, “The Great Derangement: A Terrifying True Story of War, Politics & Religion at the Twilight of the American Empire,” is an irreverent and illuminating portrait of America at the end of the Bush era.

“Matt Taibbi is at once one of the most serious — and funniest — journalists of our time,” says Jeff Cohen, PCIM’s director. “He’s adept at revealing the inner workings of Congress and our political system, as well as the insides of largely ignored social movements and subcultures. He’s embedded himself with troops in Iraq, survivors of Katrina and religious fundamentalists.”

A believer in experiential (sometimes undercover) reporting, Taibbi has traveled far and wide in search of a good story. He played professional baseball in Russia and Uzbekistan (where he was the starting outfielder on the national team), and pro basketball in Mongolia. After working as a sports editor for the “Moscow Times,” he co-founded the “The eXile,” a newspaper mixing outrageous commentary and investigative reporting aimed at Moscow’s expatriate community. He later started the satirical biweekly “The Beast” in Buffalo, and served as a columnist for the “New York Press.”

Now occupying the politics desk at “Rolling Stone” once held by P.J. O’Rourke and Hunter S. Thompson, Taibbi earned the National Magazine Award for commentary in 2008. He also contributed to coverage of the 2008 presidential campaign for HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher.”

Located within Ithaca College’s Roy H. Park School of Communications, the Park Center for Independent Media is a national center for the study of media outlets that create and distribute content outside traditional corporate systems and news organizations.