David Zurawik
The Sun's TV/media critic since 1989, David Zurawik earned a Ph.D. in American Studies (pop culture-media studies) from the University of Maryland, College Park. He has an M.A. from the University of Wisconsin in specialized reporting (pop culture) and is the author of "The Jews of Prime Time," a look at 50 years of Jewish identity in network TV (Brandeis University Press/University Press of New England, 2003). He was previously TV critic/columnist at the Dallas Times Herald.
Recent Articles
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Maher, Baldwin, Oliver, Colbert: Political satire thrives in Trump era
Four years ago when Jon Stewart was signing off the nightly airwaves and Stephen Colbert was leaving the relative freedom of Comedy Central for the more tightly regulated network world of CBS, I worried in these pages about the future of political satire on television. After all, I argued, just...
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Zurawik: Hogan looks good on TV, but does he have the media moves it would take to challenge Trump?
Amid growing calls for him to run for president in 2020, Gov. Larry Hogan is saying that his focus is running Maryland for the next four years rather than running against Donald Trump. But he’s appearing on major media outlets like CNN in prime time to say it. Actions speak louder, no? If you’re...
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Sinclair's Boris Epshteyn mocked for wrongheaded Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweet
Boris Epshteyn, Sinclair’s chief political analyst and dedicated Trump propagandist, tried to get go after Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter Monday. Poor Boris. He set out to mock her for what he thought was her confusing the INF missile treaty with the IMDb movie and TV database. Only what...
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HBO sets premiere date for 'The Case Against Adnan Syed'
“The Case Against Adnan Syed,” a four-part HBO documentary series about the 1999 murder of a Baltimore County high school student, will premiere March 10, the premium cable service announced. The murder of 18-year-old Hae Min Lee and the conviction of her ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, were the focus...
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Watching Whitaker was infuriating, but these hearings still matter in exposing Team Trump
Viewers who came to their TVs Friday looking for clarity, accountability or even just a few straight factual answers from acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker came away frustrated, if not seething, in the face of his arrogance and obfuscation. In attitude, tone and posture, he reminded me of John...
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2020 candidates search for kind of magic media mix that got Trump elected
Beto O’Rourke live streams a trip to the dentist on Instagram complete with a suction tube in his mouth as he opens by saying, “So, I’m here at the dentist.” Then a few weeks later, he announces he’s thinking of running for president in 2020 — in a more traditional format, an interview with Oprah....
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From body language to delivery, State of the Union was one of President Donald Trump's worst speeches ever
President Trump is never very good when he speaks from a teleprompter, but his State of the Union address Tuesday night was one of the worst performances of his presidency on a number of levels. The speech was a study in contrasts, contradictions and such jumbled structuring that it had him jumping...
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Super Bowl, Times interviews: The more Trump talks, the less we know to be true
Normally, when the president engages with the press and speaks to the American people, we think of it is as a good thing. Citizens need information, and here’s information from someone who has enormous influence on our lives. But after President Donald Trump’s interview last week with the New York...