Winship
HOLLYWOOD -- Members of the Writers Guild of America East have set May 8 to lobby Congress with standup comedy and a panel discussion to push its policy points on public broadcasting appropriations, media consolidation and Internet access.
The scribes will spend the day meeting with members of Congress and the Obama administration. The guild has also scheduled the panel "Writers Speak! A Potentially Regrettable Evening With Comedy Writers" at the Newseum in Washington, D.C.
WGA East president Michael Winship, senior writer for "Bill Moyers Journal," will moderate the panel discussion. Also participating: J.R. Havlan and Tim Carvell ("The Daily Show With Jon Stewart"), Bill Scheft and Tom Ruprecht ("Late Show With David Letterman"), Anthony Jeselnik ("Late Night With Jimmy Fallon"), Matt Goldich ("Best Week Ever"), Opus Moreschi ("The Colbert Report") and Allison Abner ("The West Wing").
The WGA East used a similar comedic approach in its last Washington-based event in January 2008, when writers from "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" and "The Colbert Report" staged a mock debate between the striking WGA and the AMPTP.
Contact Dave McNary at
dave.mcnary@variety.com