Orwell Updated

When George Orwell wrote the influential essay “Politics and the English Language” 60 years ago, he may have foreseen the ever-widening gulf between truth and politics in America. Today (November 7) a day-long conference entitled There You Go Again: Orwell Comes to America features debates by various luminaries inspired by Orwell's famous essay. Speakers include George Soros, political consultants Frank Luntz, George Lakoff and Drew Westen, FCC Commissioner Michael J. Copps along with many other influential commentators. The event is being held at the Celeste Bartos Forum and is presented by Live at the NYPL, in collaboration with the journalism schools of UC Berkley, Columbia and USC’s Annenberg School of Communication, with support from the Open Society Institute.

Panelists will explore the past and present of political propaganda, the latest developments in political communication and manipulation, addressing the role of the media and if an honest public debate is possible. This conference will launch a new anthology titled What Orwell Didn’t Know: Propaganda and the New Face of American Politics, published by PublicAffairs, featuring original essays by Mark Danner, Frances Fitzgerald, Michael Massing, Victor Navasky, Francine Prose, David Rieff, George Soros and Patricia Williams.

For detailed program information click here. Tickets can be purchased by calling (212) 868-4444 or visiting the New York Public Library’s website.