Molly Jong-Fast on Mothers, Memoirs, and Mayhem

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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.

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The Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump:Don't Miss This Urgent Conversation

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Our next meeting features Julian E. Zelizer, one of the nation’s leading historians and political analysts. Zelizer is a Princeton University history professor, a columnist for Foreign Policy, former CNN contributor, and author/editor of 27 books and has written more than 1,500 op-eds. His most recent book, In Defense of Partisanship, challenges the conventional wisdom that intense political partisanship is the source of American democracy's problems.

News Media News

Man in a suit speaks at a podium, US flag background. Another man in a suit stands behind him.

Hundreds of people cover the Pentagon. These are the 15 who signed its new press policy.


The Federalist, the Epoch Times and One America News signed the Defense Department’s press rules. The rest are freelancers, independent or work for media outfits based overseas.

Read Washington Post story [paywall]
Donald Trump yelling in a hallway surrounded by press; people with cameras and microphones.

Trump Refiles His $15 Billion Defamation Lawsuit Against The New York Times


A federal judge had previously dismissed the complaint as unnecessarily lengthy and digressive. Trump claims that The Times sought to defame him during the 2024 election.

Read NYTimes story [paywall]
NBC News logo: Colorful peacock emblem above black text "NBC NEWS".

NBC News Cuts 7% to 8% of Staff, or 100 to 150 Positions


Not all the staffers affected are set to depart. Many will be encouraged to apply for 140 active open roles across the company’s news operations. 

Read Story in Variety

CBS News Union Cautions Staffers Against Responding to Bari Weiss Memo About Work Activities


The Writers Guild of America East told members it's asking who will review responses and whether they could be used as a basis for discipline or layoffs.

Read Hollywood Reporter story

Trust in Media at New Low of 28% in U.S.


Although Democrats and Republicans continue to express different levels of trust in the news media, the percentages with high confidence are at low points among all party groups.

Read Gallup Poll story

Judge suspends Trump administration’s plan to eliminate hundreds of Voice of America jobs


Federal judge ruled that plans to eliminate 532 full-time employees could not move ahead.

Read AP story

WSJ moves to dismiss Trump's $10B lawsuit over alleged letter in Epstein birthday book


Journal says Birthday Book as produced by the Epstein estate and later publicly released by House Committee identical to the one described in its rticle,

Read story on ABC News

Hundreds of people cover the Pentagon. These are the 15 who signed its new press policy.


The Federalist, the Epoch Times and One America News signed the Defense Department’s press rules. The rest are freelancers, independent or work for media outfits based overseas.

Read Washington Post story [paywall]

Trump Refiles His $15 Billion Defamation Lawsuit Against The New York Times


A federal judge had previously dismissed the complaint as unnecessarily lengthy and digressive. Trump claims that The Times sought to defame him during the 2024 election.

Read NYTimes story [paywall]

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.


[CLICK] Journalism & AI Archive

Recent Guests/Speakers

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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.

[CLICK] for Main Awards Page & Links to Winning Entries
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Silurians Scholarship Program

Prepare To Be Inspired

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Kennedy Sessions, Dennis Duggan Award

Sessions, 26, specializes in Local Accountability Reporting and Data Journalism at the CUNY Newmark J-school..

See Sessions Acceptance
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Marina Samuels, 2025 Local Reporting Scholarship

Samuel, 24, CUNY Newmark J-school. "Work that we do should...reflect the struggles, amplify the voices of the community.

See Samuels Acceptance
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Anna Oakes, Columbia Journalism School

"The importance of reporting with sensativity, thoroughness and persistence."

Anna Oaks Acceptance
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Garrett Owen

“Adherence to the hard truths and standards of integrity must always be followed and respected. We get to do that; We have the honor and privilege to do that. It’s a good kind of pressure.”

Garrett Own's Acceptance

Silurians Scholarship Program

Prepare To Be Inspired

Kennedy Sessions-Black woman in white sweater

Kennedy Sessions, 2025 Dennis Duggan Award Recipient

Sessions, 26, specializes in Local Accountability Reporting and Data Journalism at the CUNY Newmark J-school.. Interested in covering how elected officials' decisions and policies impact lives of constituents.

See Sessions Acceptance
A woman is standing at a podium in front of a microphone.

Marina Samuels, 2025 Local Reporting Scholarship

Samuel, 24, specializes in Local Accountability Reporting and Data Journalism at the CUNY Newmark J-School, . "Work that we do should...reflect the struggles, amplify the voices of the community, and fights for its needs.

See Samuels Acceptance
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Anna Oakes, Columbia Graduate School of Journalism

Anna Oakes spent the last two years reporting on immigration, social movements, and healthcare.Will work as a summer fellow in local accountability journalism at The City. 

Read More About Anna Oaks

The Silurian Archives

Silurians YouTube channel — 120+ videos of speakers and events.

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The Silurians News newspaper archive, dating back to 2009

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CLICK for the Silurians News Archive

[MORE] articles and posts by, and about, Silurians

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