Interested in writing a humor column for the school paper? Take some advice from Dave Barry: Do it, but only if you’re funny.
Dave Barry, longtime syndicated columnist at The Miami Herald, won a Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 1988 and has written a number of books. So he knows what he’s talking about.
Here’s an excerpt from an e-mail interview in which he gives his advice for budding humor columnists.
Poynter Online: In addition to being elected Class Clown by the Pleasantville High School class of 1965, were you also involved with the school newspaper? If so, were there any journalistic lessons learned during those years that have stayed with you and helped you in your professional career?
Barry: I did write an article for the Pleasantville High School newspaper, which I think was called The Panther. This article described, in what I thought were hilarious terms, an actual sporting event called Loadball, in which most of the male members of my senior class played an enormous chaotic game of football while impaired by beer (not that I IN ANY WAY approve of this). The main thing I learned from this is that even though you may find something to be funny, the authorities will not necessarily agree with you.
Poynter Online: In high school, many students take a shot at writing humor columns. Is humor something that “just comes naturally,” or are there ways for writers to develop their funny bones?
Barry: I think you can develop as a writer, but if you don’t have a knack for humor to begin with, you’ll never be a good humor columnist. (Of course, I regularly get letters from readers who assure me that I’LL never be a good humor columnist.)
Poynter Online: You write laugh-out-loud commentaries that are both funny and thought-provoking. What should a humor columnist’s first objective be: to make people think or make them fall out of their chairs giggling?
Barry: Definitely the latter. I have no real interest in provoking thoughts, beyond getting a laugh.
Poynter Online: High school administrators and teachers are not exactly known for their appreciation of humor. What are some ways for students to write funny articles without resorting to scatological or offensive humor? Is it ever OK to be offensive?
Barry: I think it can be OK, in the sense that just because somebody is offended doesn’t mean that person is right. I mean, everything I write offends SOMEBODY, so to avoid being “offensive” I’d have to quit writing altogether. On the other hand, I think there are some things — racism, for example (I mean real racism, as opposed to the racism detected everywhere by the hypersensitive PC police) — that are never acceptable. As for getting the administrators and teachers to cut you some slack: Hey, good luck with THAT.
Poynter Online: Who would win in a catfight: Britney or Christina?
Barry: Aretha Franklin would crush them both with one forearm.
With thanks to Doug White, who contributed to the high school journalism website for Poynter Online in 2001.
