CNN's Jake Tapper to Visit Drexel, Talking About the Real News and His Literary Fiction

CNN's Jake Tapper will visit Drexel University in May.

CNN anchor, chief Washington correspondent and noted author, Jake Tapper, will visit Drexel University on May 24 to talk about his new novel, “The Hellfire Club,” and the challenges he faces as a journalist during one of the most trying times in the history of political reporting.

Tapper will join Karen Curry, an adjunct professor in Westphal College and former bureau chief and producer at CNN and NBC, for a conversation about his work as a writer and reporter. The event, which will be held at Mitchel Auditorium in Drexel’s Bossone Research Center, is free and open to the public.

“CNN anchor Jake Tapper has been dubbed the realest man in Fake News and the heir to Edward R. Murrow,” Curry, a former NBC News producer said. “He is arguably the most formidable journalist working in television news today and whether from the left or right, gets kudos for his tough and insightful reporting. Add to that his incarnation on Saturday Night Live and this is clearly Jake Tapper’s moment.”

The event will highlight Jake Tapper’s extensive career in journalism and writing. After joining the CNN network in 2013, Tapper launched his one-hour weekday program, “The Lead with Jake Tapper.” Tapper also hosted CNN’s Sunday morning news show, “The State of the Union,” in 2015. In 2017, Tapper won the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Television Political Journalism.

In addition to his work as a journalist, Tapper also authored three non-fiction books: “The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor,” about a U.S. military unit in Afghanistan; “The Plot to Steal the Presidency,” about the 2000 presidential election; and “Body Slam: The Jesse Ventura Story.” “The Hellfire Club,” which is Tapper’s first work of fiction, is, perhaps fittingly, a political thriller.

“Somehow, in the midst of covering today’s unprecedented political news, Tapper has managed to write his debut novel, The Hellfire Club,” Curry said. “It’s a 1950’s political thriller about a Washington conspiracy that could change the course of history and it will be fascinating to hear how his work in 21^st century Washington has informed the novel.”

Tapper will be available to sign books after the event. The evening with Jake Tapper is supported by the Sibby Merkel Brasler Distinguished Lecture Fund. For more information visit: http://drexel.edu/westphal/news-events/events/details/?eid=19353&iid=54641