Mr. Media Training

I’ve written more than 250 stories this year. With the exception of the blog’s most loyal readers, I’m guessing you’ve missed some along the way.  

So I went back and compiled a short list of the most popular posts from 2011.

I hope you enjoy some of the posts you may have missed. And thank you very much for spending some of your time on the blog!

1. The Worst Media Disasters of 2011: Who committed the worst media gaffes in 2011? There was steep competition, and as hard as they tried, neither Charlie Sheen nor Herman Cain made it to the top of the list. Here’s the list, with video.

2. 12 Things 1980s Music Can Teach Public Speakers: I’m a 1980s music geek. So I looked for an excuse to write a presentation training story featuring some of my guiltiest 80s pleasures. This one took about eight hours to write. I enjoyed every second. Here are 12 cheesy songs from the 1980s – and what they can teach you about public speaking.

3. Seven Rules To Remember When a Crisis Strikes: These seven tips may seem straightforward – but hundreds of companies, organizations, and government agencies ignore them every day.

4. Nine Things New Spokespersons Need To Know: I’ve often wondered – if I had just ten minutes to prepare someone for their first television interview, what would I tell them? Here are the nine things I believe every new media spokesperson needs to know.

5. The Five Most Common PowerPoint Mistakes: We’ve all seen those speakers – the ones who fly through 100 PowerPoint slides in 20 minutes. This article will help you avoid being that person. Here are the five most common PowerPoint mistakes – and how to avoid them.

6. Why There’s No Such Thing as a “Personal” Facebook or Twitter Account:  If you spend enough time on social networking sites, you’ll see thousands of profiles with this disclaimer: “The views expressed here do not represent those of my employer.” Nonsense! For practical purposes, there is no difference between your personal accounts and your professional ones. Here’s why.

7. Five Reasons Journalists Lead Miserable Lives: Reporters face more pressures than ever before, and it’s no wonder that many of them are exhausted, overly-stressed, unresponsive, and curt. This article looks at five reasons reporters lead “miserable” lives – and what you can do to make their lives easier.

8. Five Reasons The Reporter Didn’t Quote You: You just finished a media interview. You think you nailed it. But when the story comes out, your name is nowhere to be found. Few things frustrate media spokespersons more than providing the reporter with loads of information only to be omitted from the final story. Here are five reasons the reporter may have dropped you from the story.

Note to readers: For the first time since beginning this blog in August 2010, I’m going to take a week off from the blog next week to catch my breath. I’ll be back on Tuesday, January 3rd. In the meantime, thank you for reading. I wish you and your family a happy and healthy holiday season!

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know that I engage in a fair bit of political punditry.

There’s nothing even remotely unique about being a pundit – but there is something unique about a pundit who actually grades himself on his successes and failures.

Since I regularly grade public figures and try to hold others accountable, I felt it was only fair to turn the pen on myself and see how I did. So I spent an evening going through all of the political posts I wrote during 2011.

On the whole, I got it right more than I got it wrong. But it was far from a perfect year, and this article will summarize my hits and misses.

RIGHT: Mitt Romney’s Mandate (March 8, 2011): Back in March, I wrote that Mitt Romney should disown his Massachusetts health care plan instead of continuing to defend it. Gov. Romney has continued to defend his plan – and, like when Hillary Clinton continued to defend the Iraq war in 2007, his party’s base has not forgiven his apostasy. Although he might end up getting the nomination, he’s lucky – had Chris Christie, Marco Rubio, John Thune, Mitch Daniels, or Haley Barbour gotten in the race, he might have been in real trouble.

WRONG: Chris Christie’s Storm (January 3, 2011): As a major snow storm blanketed his state, paralyzing roadways and knocking out electrical lines, I wrote that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie would pay a political price for vacationing in Disney World instead of staying home. His approval ratings actually went up. Didn’t see that one coming.

RIGHT: Rick Perry’s Gaffes (June 29, 2011): Well before the infamous debate gaffes that likely doomed his campaign, I accurately predicted that Rick Perry would get into trouble with words. I wrote, “Perry is not a particularly strong extemporaneous speaker…he could be prone to some major gaffes that take his campaign far off message.”

RIGHT: Donald Trump Takes The Lead (April 18, 2011): When circus sideshow Donald Trump was polling as the top choice in the Republican field, I reminded readers that his “first-place showing at this point means little” and compared him to Howard Dean, Ross Perot, and Pat Buchanan – all of whom once briefly flirted with the lead.

I have to admit I missed the Ron Paul surge. Many readers didn't make the same mistake.

WRONG: Ron Paul’s Support (September 7, 2011): Throughout the campaign, I’ve consistently missed the mark on the breadth of Rep. Ron Paul’s support. In fairness, he had a similarly enthusiastic base in 2008 that yielded him few delegates. But this year seems different, and he’s a legitimate threat to finish near the top in Iowa next month.

RIGHT: Anthony Weiner’s Crisis Response (June 1, 2011): In the earliest hours of the Anthony Weiner scandal, long before we knew the lurid details, I wrote: “Mr. Weiner has been married for less than a year…I can’t help but thinking that his decisions are being influenced, at least in part, by those concerns.”

WRONG: Tim Pawlenty’s Mild Debate Response (June 13, 2011): I praised GOP presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty for refusing to go after Mitt Romney on “Obamneycare.” Turns out most pundits cited that moment as the reason he had to drop out of the race. As Rick Perry might say, “Oops.”

RIGHT: Herman Cain’s Bubble Will Burst (October 18, 2011): When Herman Cain was leading the polls (and before his alleged sexual misconduct came to light), I wrote: “Based on his performance thus far, it’s hard to see how he uses his recent momentum to win the White House.” In hindsight, that one seems rather obvious.

Newt Gingrich represents both my greatest failure and success as a pundit this year. Photo: Gage Skidmore

MY BIGGEST MISTAKE: Newt Gingrich’s Campaign Suicide (May 31, 2011): After Speaker Gingrich blasted fellow Republican Paul Ryan’s “right-wing social engineering” during the first week of his campaign in May, I wrote that “Gingrich is still in the race. But my odds of winning the Republican nomination are probably better.” I should have known better than to declare a campaign over, and hope to avoid repeating that mistake in the future. My biggest mistake of the year.

MY BIGGEST SUCCESS: Newt Gingrich’s Impending Surge (September 12, 2011): When Newt Gingrich was polling just five percent in mid-September, I wrote: “If Mr. Perry falters, someone else is likely to emerge to threaten Mr. Romney for the nomination – and if Mr. Gingrich continues to perform this well, he could emerge as that person.” My biggest success of the year.

If you like my blog, please stay in touch on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/MrMediaTraining and on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/MrMediaTraining. Thanks for reading!

Let’s say you’re giving a press conference about a controversial subject.

You know the reporters will ask aggressive questions. And, as reporters often do when they’re around their peers, they’re going to try to out-do the journalist who asked the previous question by asking an even tougher one.

You want to appear in front of the journalistic pack for only as long as you have to. But you also know that taking a few questions will help you appear open and transparent instead of defensive and evasive.

Here’s a technique that will allow you to look open while limiting your exposure to the press.

First, some background.

In most cases, it’s usually a good practice to open a press conference with an opening statement, during which you lay out the basic facts – the who, what, when, where, why, and how.

When dealing with controversial topics, it’s also usually a good practice to limit the time for the question period by telling reporters something at the beginning such as, “I only have about ten minutes for questions,” or “I have time for five questions.”

Here’s where most people go wrong.

They come out and they tell the reporters all of the basics. The reporters then use their time asking all sorts of tough follow-ups. Even if you limit the time to just five minutes, you can be assured that all five minutes will be filled with challenging questions.

Instead, imagine what would happen if you came out, offered a very brief opening statement that  intentionally omitted some key information, limited the time to five minutes, and opened the floor to questions. The reporters would be forced to ask you to fill in those blanks – they can’t file a story without them. That would allow you to spend most of your five minutes answering straightforward “who, what, when, where, why, and how” questions instead of dealing with the nasty follow-ups.

This technique can be quite effective, but be judicious with this approach. Good media relations usually means that you’re an open and accessible spokesperson for longer than five minutes. But this tactic can be an effective strategy at certain moments, and it should remain an arrow in your media quiver. 

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This is a guest post by Matt Eventoff of Princeton Public Speaking, who graciously allowed me to reprint a version of his article about closing a speech. An earlier version appeared on his blog.

The moment of truth has arrived.

You had them at the open. The audience was clearly focused, nodding as you delivered your message. Eyes locked as you wove through a carefully crafted medley of stories, anecdotes and analogies, all supporting your message. The majority of your audience agrees with what you are saying.

The time has come to conclude, at which point you exclaim: “In conclusion, I appreciate your time. Thank you!”

…and then nothing happens. Everyone quietly claps, or just nods, and leaves the auditorium or conference room.

What can you do to prevent this from occurring? Here are five effective techniques for closing a speech or presentation:

1. Direct Call to Action: A speech or presentation without a clear call to action is a speech or presentation that probably is not worth giving. While not appropriate for every address, there is no clearer call to action than a direct call to action, such as:

”In order to guarantee that we save ______ tomorrow, we need to _____ today. If every person in this room leaves and immediately _____, I can guarantee that will result in ______ next year!”

2. (Very) Short Story/Anecdote: Show, don’t tell. Use a brief story or anecdote to drive a message. I once had a Major League Baseball player as a client, and he very effectively told the following (abridged) story to end a presentation about teamwork:

So Coach entered the locker room after a pretty tough game in which a number of us had standout performances, and the result was….a big loss. One of our players went four for four. Coach called him by his last name, Smith, asked him to come up front, and then asked him to stand with the back of his uniform facing the rest of the players. Then he asked a kid who had just been called up from the minors, Jones, to do the same thing. He then said “Smith, Jones I want you to turn around.” When they did, he pointed to the front of the uniform and reminded us all – “You play for the name on the front of the jersey (the team) not the name on the back (your own).”

3. Call-to-Question: It is often very effective to end with a rhetorical question that captures the message and leaves the audience thinking – especially one that directly ties in a call to action: 

“What choice will you make when you leave here today? Will you ____, or will you go about your normal routine?”

4. Contrast: One of my favorites; this one is even more effective when tied directly to the closing call to action:

“We can have____, or we can have ______. The choice is ours, and is based entirely on the decision we each individually make today. _____ or _____. ( I know I’m choosing _____.)”

5. Quote: Short, appropriate, powerful quotes are effective as openers, and short, appropriate, powerful quotes are effective for closing. With a plethora of resources available to get quotes in an instant, it is now possible to come up with a quality opening, or ending anywhere.

Matt Eventoff of Princeton Public Speaking tweets at @Matt_Eventoff.

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Just two months ago, a Newt Gingrich comeback seemed as unlikely as a comeback for other 1990s superstars, such as Color Me Badd, flannel shirts, and that Susan Powter “Stop The Insanity!” lady.

But in tonight’s debate, the former House Speaker entered as the clear favorite in national polling. Did anything happen tonight to threaten his lead?

Here are tonight’s grades, in order of best to worst:

THE TOP TIER

MITT ROMNEY (1st Place, Grade: A-)

Mitt Romney was on his game tonight.

His game plan was clear: He’d be the rational, level-headed one, serving as a nice contrast with Newt Gingrich, who Romney’s campaign accuses of being “zany” and irresponsible. He succeeded.

Gov. Romney  focused his attacks on President Obama – not his opponents – which is good, since he looks unappealing and peevish when he attacks on the debate stage. He looked less defensive in his responses to Chris Wallace’s tough questions than Gingrich did when facing similar aggressive questioning.

Mr. Romney had a terrific line regarding the downed drone in Iran. Reacting to President Obama requesting that Iran return the drone, Gov. Romney caustically said that the President’s response amounting to having a foreign policy of “pretty please?”

Iowa is very much up in the air, but Mr. Romney did a lot to help his chances tonight.

RICK SANTORUM (2nd Place, tied, Grade: B+)

Sen. Santorum had a good night, successfully conveying a single message: Been there, done that.

By using that response, Mr. Santorum successfully whacked all of his opponents. He was able to use that refrain to whack those competitors who have changed their positions over time, and to whack those who he accused of not being sufficiently conservative.

If any of the candidates in the bottom tier move up over the next three weeks, I’m guessing it’ll be Santorum.

RON PAUL (2nd Place, tied, Grade: B+)

Rep. Paul also had a good night tonight. He was more animated than he has been in past debates, even displaying a little humor over his favorite Supreme Court justice (“All of them are good and all of them are bad,” he said.) He made Rep. Bachman look like a naif after a particularly heated exchange over Iran, angrily wagging his pen as he pressed his case.

It’s easy to see why so many Americans have been attracted to his campaign; no candidate on either side of the aisle has been as ideologically consistent.

Still, it’s important to point out that Americans always elect the more optimistic candidate (they’ve done so since the beginning of the 24/7 media age in 1980), and Dr. Paul conveys little optimism. He’d do himself a favor by wrapping his principled arguments in a “can do” spirit that offers fewer strident lectures along the way.

MIDDLE OF THE PACK

MICHELE BACHMANN (4th Place, Grade: C+)

Rep. Bachmann launched a successful attack against Speaker Gingrich on Freddie Mac tonight, but was less successful when going after Ron Paul on Iraq. The bigger problem for her is that she did nothing to change the dynamic of her campaign. After tonight, it’s tough to see how she finishes in the top three in Iowa, which would effectively end her campaign.

NEWT GINGRICH (5th Place, Grade: C)

Speaker Gingrich had a lousy first half tonight, which may hurt his already slipping poll numbers in Iowa.

When his opponents predictably attacked him, he looked defensive and his face tightened. Given that he knew the attacks were coming, I was surprised he didn’t have a witty rejoinder at the ready – where was the debate wit that launched him into the top tier in the first place?

He used the language of denial – a political “no-no” – by saying, “I have never once changed my positions due to any type of payment.” Count on that sound bite being played repeatedly on tomorrow’s cable news programs. He also allowed himself to be thrust into the role of being a defender of big government. Plus, did we really need a history lesson dating back to 1802?

Mr. Gingrich had his moments, such as when he said, “I get accused of using language that’s too strong, so I’ve been up here editing. I don’t want to be accused of being ‘zany.’” That ‘zany’ line was a sly allusion to an ad being run against him by the Romney campaign.

TRAILING THE FIELD

RICK PERRY (6th Place, Grade: C-)

Listening to Rick Perry speak is kind of like looking at a randomly assorted collection of refrigerator word magnets. His awkward cadence, bordering on manic at times, is like a high-wire act – you know he could slip at any moment (and he often does).

His attempt to relate himself to NFL quarterback Tim Tebow, a darling of conservatives, was a good idea on paper. But in real-life, it’s a talking point that has a high degree of difficulty, and Gov. Perry looked foolish trying to pull it off.

It wasn’t all bad for Perry. His pitch for a “part-time Congress” is the most likely idea to stick since “9-9-9,” and he delivered a strong answer on immigration. All in all, though, not enough to significantly alter his electoral odds. 

JON HUNTSMAN (7th Place, Grade: D+)

We learned something new in this debate: Jon Huntsman’s favorite curse word is “screwed.”

He used the word no fewer than three times: “We are getting screwed as Americans;” “President Obama “screwed up” the economy;” and our “visa system is so screwed up in this nation.” 

For good measure, he threw in a rhetorical question that asked “how stupid are we,” referenced Donald Trump, and alluded to George Kennan, the barely remembered diplomat best remembered as the “father of containment.”

Gov. Huntsman is screwed. His effort to use stronger language that will resonate deeply with the American people isn’t natural for him, making him look desperate. And what was with him looking at his notes as he was speaking throughout the debate? If you can’t deliver an answer without a crutch at this point, you’re, well, screwed.

COMMENTS? Do you agree or disagree with my analysis? Please leave your opinion in the comment section below, but remember the blog’s comment policy – no ad hominem attacks or pejorative name-calling will be posted.

Did you miss the 10 worst media disasters of 2011? Click here to catch up!

The Mr. Media Training Blog is pleased to announce the ten worst on-camera media gaffes of 2011!

This year’s winners include a politician who lost his place, a country singer who lost his job, and a celebrity who lost his show.

The media spokespersons were selected based on the impact of their gaffes. All ten people reinforced an existing narrative about their lack of preparedness for office, their lack of discipline, or their lack of compassion.

Here, without further ado, are the ten worst video media disasters of 2011!

#10: Hank Williams, Jr. Compares President Obama to Adolf Hitler

In October, country singer Hank Williams, Jr. was fired up during an appearance on Fox and Friends. While reflecting on a golf match between President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner, Mr. Williams quipped, “It would be like Hitler playing golf with Netanyahu.” The Fox hosts looked shocked and distanced themselves from his statement; ESPN promptly dropped his theme song as its Monday Night Football opener.

#9: Sarah Palin’s “Blood Libel”

Months before Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) was almost killed in Tucson, Former Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) released an infamous “crosshairs map,” which placed a target over Ms. Giffords’  congressional district. In the days after the shooting, Ms. Palin was blamed, in part, for the shooting.

Ms. Palin was upset by media stories connecting her to the crime; she was right that there was no evidence that the shooter had even seen her map. But she over-reacted, taking to the airwaves to blame the media for committing "blood libel." That term is most commonly used as an anti-Semitic slur referring to Jews murdering Christians.

Her poll numbers immediately plummeted with Independents and Republicans (Fox News head Roger Ailes was also said to be infuriated by her response). Instead of using the moment to expand her base by issuing a gracious statement, Ms. Palin narrowed it, leading many political prognosticators to declare her 2012 hopes dead.

#8: NPR Fundraiser Ron Schiller Blasts The Tea Party

National Public Radio’s chief fundraiser, Ron Schiller, went to lunch with a couple of men claiming to be Muslim donors in March. It turned out they were Republican activists with a hidden camera. During the lunch, Mr. Schiller called members of the Tea Party, “seriously racist, racist people,” among other things.

That he made those comments was bad enough; that he made them while NPR was already in the midst of a heated debate about its public funding was flabbergasting. His comments not only led to his immediate resignation, but the resignation of NPR’s CEO, as well. The House of Representatives voted to strip NPR of its federal funding. Fortunately for NPR, the Senate prevented that from happening – for now. 

#7: Rupert Murdoch Channels Tony Hayward

While testifying before the British Parliament in July, News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch was asked whether he accepted the ultimate responsibility for his company’s phone hacking scandal. Not only did he say “no,” but he delivered his answer without even a hint of humility. So much for Harry Truman’s axiom, “The buck stops here.”

By delivering such an indifferent answer, he gave former BP Executive Tony “I’d like my life back” Hayward competition as the world’s most clueless corporate executive.

#6: Rick Perry’s “Oops” Moment

During a Republican presidential debate in November, Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) confidently declared he would eliminate three government agencies – and promptly forgot what they were. For 47 painful seconds, Mr. Perry tried to recall the third agency he would eliminate. He finally gave up, shrugged his shoulders, and lamely said, “oops.” That one moment likely sank any remaining chances Mr. Perry had of winning the nomination.

DO YOU AGREE WITH MY PICKS FOR THE TEN WORST MEDIA DISASTERS OF THE YEAR? CLICK HERE TO TAKE OUR POLL AND CAST YOUR VOTE FOR THE WORST.

#5: President Obama Jokes About Joblessness

With the nation’s unemployment rate above nine percent and millions of Americans desperate to find work, President Obama cracked a joke in June that few people found funny.

When a questioner asked a serious question about the nation’s inefficient permitting process, Mr. Obama cracked wise about his two-year-old pledge to create shovel-ready jobs, joking, “Shovel-ready was not as shovel-ready as we expected.” Many people blasted the President for his political tin ear, which has gotten him in trouble before (see earlier gaffes related to a San Francisco fundraiser, Hillary Clinton, and the Special Olympics).

#4: Charlie Sheen’s Downward Spiral

There’s little funny about addiction, and Charlie Sheen’s dangerous spiral was sad to watch (see “Why #Winning Isn’t Funny”). Sheen stayed in the news for months, but it was his out-of-touch interview with sycophantic radio host Alex Jones in February that led to his dismissal from his top-rated sitcom, Two and a Half Men.

In that interview, Sheen made vaguely anti-Semitic comments about “Men”” creator Chuck Lorre, called Alcoholics Anonymous a “bootleg cult,” and labeled Thomas Jefferson a “pussy.” He topped off his tirade by threatening to “murder” those who attack his family.

#3: The Herman Cain Affair

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain was caught flat-footed in October when numerous women accused him of sexual harassment (another woman later asserted she had had a long-term sexual affair with him). Mr. Cain changed his story on an almost-hourly basis, even arguing that he didn’t understand an earlier question that had used the word “settlement” instead of “agreement.” 

Mr. Cain dropped out of the race in December, maintaining his innocence to a public that no longer believed him.

Politico compiled a partial chronology of Mr. Cain’s rolling disclosures in the early days of the crisis.

#2: (Alleged) Penn State Child Rapist Jerry Sandusky Speaks

When former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky spoke to NBC’s Bob Costas in November about horrific allegations that he raped numerous boys, no one was prepared for his jaw-dropping answer to this direct question: “Are you sexually attracted to young boys?” It took 16 seconds for Sandusky to say “no.” Instead, he began by saying how much he “enjoyed” young people and loves to be around them. Sandusky’s alleged actions, combined with Penn State’s ineffectual response, led to the firings of the University president and legendary football coach Joe Paterno.

(Fast forward to 7:15)

#1: Anthony Weiner’s Twitter Scandal

Self-immolations rarely come in more spectacular fashion than when Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) was caught tweeting naughty photos to strangers in June. His approach to crisis management was to: 

1. 1. Deny the charges and claim his Twitter account had been hacked.
2. 2. Call a reporter a “jackass.”
3. 3. Say that although he hadn’t sent the photos, he couldn’t rule out “with certitude” that the erect undies shot was of him.
4. 4. Hold a tearful press conference to admit he had tweeted the photos himself but refusing to resign.
5. 5. Watch helplessly as a nude photo of his…ahem…member…was released.
6. 6. See his private news about his wife’s early-term pregnancy announced to the world.
7. 7. See yet another batch of sexy gym photos released.
8. 8. Resign in shame.

One of Mr. Weiner’s worst moments (there were many) was captured during a CNN interview, in which he sanctimoniously blasted reporters. After Mr. Weiner resigned, a Republican won his seat, costing Democrats a critical seat in the House of Representatives.

FLASHBACK: THE TEN WORST MEDIA DISASTERS OF 2010

Click here to listen to Brad Phillips discussing this top ten list on Washington D.C.’s top-rated radio station, WTOP-FM.

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Did you see my picks for the worst media disasters of 2011? (They’re here if you missed them.)

Here’s your chance to agree with my conclusions – or register your vote for what you think was the worst media disaster of the year.

Let the voting begin!

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I’ve enjoyed The Daily Show with Jon Stewart for more than a decade.

But I’ve often wondered how the show’s correspondents consistently get people to speak to them for the program’s comedic taped segments. Do the correspondents play it fair by fully disclosing who they are and on what show the interview will air, or do they obscure their identities in an effort to secure the interview?

A reader recently wrote in with that question, asking:

“Do shows like The Daily Show (and The Colbert Report) actually dupe potential guests? Is it possible that The Daily Show would have given false names, etc., to get the interview? Do many guests not realize the nature of the program? (This baffles me as these shows have extremely high ratings…and people are very aware of what they do….are they sneaky and underhanded in obtaining guests)?”

What does Jon Stewart's Daily Show tell guests who appear in taped pieces?

In an effort to get that answer, I emailed Comedy Central’s Director of Corporate Communications, Renata Luczak, last week. She didn’t respond.

I also emailed a former guest, Republican strategist Noelle Nikpour, who looked rather foolish in an October Daily Show segment. I wanted to learn more about what she was told prior to the interview; she also didn’t respond.

Her segment, about her mistrust of scientists, is below – and is typical of the way interviews are edited for correspondent pieces:  

Since I was unable to get answers from the network or a recent guest, I’d like to turn to this blog’s readers for answers.

Does anyone have information about how The Daily Show or The Colbert Report gets people to participate in these interviews? I’m not talking here about the live guests both hosts have each night, but rather the interview subjects who appear in taped pieces.

Even better, does anyone have a release form from one of the shows?

Given Comedy Central’s failure to respond, I’m left to conclude that the shows probably don’t tell guests everything. I can’t imagine they would get guests to agree to interviews if they said, “Hi, this is Aasif Mandvi with The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and I’d like to interview you for a comedic taped piece that will almost surely make you look silly.”

But I’d rather not surmise. Please share what you know. And if I hear back from Comedy Central or Ms. Nikpour, I’ll add their replies to the story.

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