09-15-11

MAD Magazine senior editor will present 'The Joy of Censorship' at ISU Sept. 22

AMES, Iowa - The senior editor of MAD Magazine, who is a crusader against unwarranted censorship, will speak at Iowa State University on Thursday, Sept. 22. Joe Raiola will present "The Joy of Censorship," a "fiery defense" of the First Amendment, at 8 p.m. in the Memorial Union Great Hall. Raiola's talk is the Constitution Day Lecture and part of Banned Book Week. It is free and open to the public.

Raiola will take a satirical look at the most hotly debated First Amendment issues, including the effect of 9/11 on free speech, banned books, movie ratings, the FCC and Internet filters. His program also traces the unlikely and colorful history of MAD Magazine, from the publishers' showdown with the U.S. Senate over comic book censorship to the magazine's emergence as a satirical force. The program concludes with a slide presentation spotlighting many of MAD's most controversial and outrageous covers and articles.

Raiola joined the Theatre Within Workshop in New York in 1979 as a young comedian and built a career as a solo performer, comedy writer, producer and director.

The talk is cosponsored by Ames Public Library, First Amendment Day Celebration, George Gund Fund, ISU Library, Society of Professional Journalists-Leo Mores Chapter and the Committee on Lectures, which is funded by the Government of the Student Body. More information on ISU lectures is available at http://www.lectures.iastate.edu, or by calling 515-294-9935.

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