Mr. Taibbi was interviewed by Mr. Dana about his book Spanking the Donkey: Dispatches from the Dumb Season, published by New Press. It is a collection of articles he wrote for the New York Press, The Nation, and Rolling Stone while covering the 2004 presidential election. While working as a reporter, Mr. Taibbi had a seat on John Kerry’s campaign plane, attended Howard Dean press conferences, and worked undercover at a Republican campaign office in Orlando, Florida. The author discussed his writing style and the problems he faced finding new story ideas and getting along with the other reporters. After their discussion they answered audience members' questions.

Portions of this program contain language that some may find offensive.