My six-year term as chairman of the Columbia Daily Spectator‘s board of alumni trustees came to a merry end on January 30. That’s when the news organization for Columbia University’s undergraduates held its annual fundraising dinner, which this year featured guest speakers Ben Smith, editor-in-chief of BuzzFeed, and Beau Willimon, showrunner/writer of House of Cards….
journalism
Charlie Hebdo: “L’amour: Plus fort que la haine”
Here is the New Yorker’s reaction to the mass shooting at the office of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris. Click to read the essay by Amy Davidson. And a 2012 quote from Charlie Hebdo editor Stephane “Charb” Charbonnier, who was killed today: “A drawing has never killed anyone.” Click to read Alexandra Petri’s Washington…
What Wendy Wore: Committee to Protect Journalists Dinner
The Committee to Protect Journalists gave out its International Press Freedom Awards at the Waldorf Astoria last Tuesday, November 25. I wrote about CPJ’s importance in that day’s post on the movie Rosewater, which tells the story of Iranian-Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari. When Bahari was arrested in Iran in 2009 — and held and tortured…
What Wendy Wore: Ossie Clark at Rosewater Screening
Tonight, the Committee to Protect Journalists presents its International Press Freedom Awards. The annual black-tie dinner, held at the Waldorf-Astoria, honors journalists from around the world who risk their lives to report from war zones and in defiance of brutal regimes. It also raises money for CPJ’s important activities, which include denouncing anti-press violations, providing…
What Wendy Wore: Embarrassed With Bill Clinton
The New Republic magazine celebrated its 100th birthday with a big dinner in Washington, D.C., last night and MrB and I were invited. Bill Clinton was the keynote speaker and, during the cocktail hour, Bill popped up a few feet away from us. He was immediately besieged by hand-shakers and photo-takers. As the party organizers…
What Wendy Wore: MrB Gets an Award in Tucson
MrB and I recently visited Tucson, where he received the John Peter and Anna Catherine Zenger Award from the University of Arizona School of Journalism. The Zenger award honors journalists who “fight for freedom of the press and the people’s right to know.” The school’s website elaborates: “[The award] is named for a husband and…
Zang Toi, Jill Abramson, and the Jewel of the Month
Zang Toi’s Spring 2015 runway show this week reminded me that I had an outfit photo with a Zang dress that I’ve been meaning to post since May! What Wendy Wore Dress: Zang Toi (2007?) Purse: Prada (2007) Shoes: Prada (2010) I’d have to ask Zang exactly what season this dress is from, but I…
Rings for Every Occasion
Thanks to the letter rings from my WENDYB by Wendy Brandes line, I’ve got the right jewelry for every occasion, including a little party the Columbia Daily Spectator had on May 4. The event marked the last evening of production for the daily print issue of Columbia University’s undergraduate newspaper. As the chairman of Spec’s…
The Weeks in Review
The past two weeks have been wild around here! The big news was the announcement that the Columbia Daily Spectator — the undergraduate newspaper of my alma mater, Columbia University — would focus on its website, while reducing its printing schedule from five times a week to once a week. As the chairman of the…
Never Is the Next New Thing™: My Bio and Columbia Spectator
If you’ve read my blog for a while — or simply looked at my header — you know that my personal (trademarked!) adage is “Never Is the Next New Thing™.” It started out as a 2010 observation about fashion trends. I wrote: “I used to say, ‘Never say never’ when it comes to fashion, but…