Ed Zotti (born 1951) is a journalist and urban transit planner in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. He is credited as being the "editor and confidant" of

Cecil Adams Cecil Adams, affectionately known to readers and fans and sometimes refers to himself as Uncle Cecil or Uncle Cece, is the pseudonymous author of ''The Straight Dope'', a popular question and answer column published in the ''Chicago Reader'' from ...

, the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

of the writer of the column "

The Straight Dope ''The Straight Dope'' was a question-and-answer newspaper column written under the pseudonym Cecil Adams. Contributions were made by multiple authors, and it was illustrated (also pseudonymously) by Slug Signorino. It was first published in 197 ...

" (published by the ''

Chicago Reader The ''Chicago Reader'', or ''Reader'' (stylized as ЯEADER), is an American alternative newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. The ''Reader'' has been ...

'' and nationally syndicated from 1997 to 2018).

Biography

Zotti is a native of

. He attended high school at Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary, where he served as editor of student newspapers. He graduated from

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

, majoring in journalism. Zotti has worked as a journalist and an urban transit planner. In addition to his work on "The Straight Dope" column and books, Zotti is also the author of ''The Barn House, Confessions of an Urban Rehabber'' as well as ''Operation Netiquette: Moderating for Minors''. Zotti also moderates the Barn House message board which has logged almost 1800 posts since its founding in 2008.

Straight Dope editor

Zotti became the

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...

of "The Straight Dope" column in 1978, with offices located in the building of the ''

broadsheet A broadsheet is the largest newspaper format and is characterized by long Vertical and horizontal, vertical pages, typically of in height. Other common newspaper formats include the smaller Berliner (format), Berliner and Tabloid (newspaper ...

. He succeeded Mike Lenehan, who edited the column from its inception in 1973 until 1976, and who was later promoted to

Executive Editor Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dir ...

at the ''Chicago Reader'', and

Dave Kehr David Kehr (born 1953) is an American museum curator and film critic. For many years a critic at the ''Chicago Reader'' and the ''Chicago Tribune,'' he later wrote a weekly column for ''The New York Times'' on DVD releases. He later became a c ...

, who edited from 1976 to 1978 and who later became a noted

film critic Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films and the film medium. In general, film criticism can be divided into two categories: Academic criticism by film scholars, who study the composition of film theory and publish their findin ...

for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''. Zotti has been very cagey about his actual role in the construction of the "Straight Dope" column and the answering of queries, and has been largely responsible for the mythos surrounding the identity of "Cecil Adams". Several statements give credence to the notion that "Cecil Adams" actually refers to a collective organization of researchers and writers, with Zotti as chief editor: William Poundstone's 1993 book '' Biggest Secrets'', which exposed a variety of professional, trade, and entertainment secrets, refers to Cecil as "a guy named Ed Zotti". When asked in a 2011 interview about the claim that he "was" Cecil Adams, Zotti obliquely de-emphasized his individual role in the column while simultaneously alluding to the larger organization ( copy editors and

research assistant A research assistant (RA) is a researcher employed, often on a temporary contract, by a university, research institute, or privately held organization to provide assistance in academic or private research endeavors. Research assistants work under ...

s) that author the column, stating "There are layers within layers. That’s not to say there isn't some underlying reality to the myth. I do much of Cecil's typing, but Cecil presides. Editors will come and go. I'll get hit by a bus some day, but Cecil will be eternal. That's all people need to know."Malooley, Jake
''Who is Cecil Adams?''
Time Out Chicago. Nov 2, 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2014.

References

External links

Cecil Adams' Online Column, "The Straight Dope"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zotti, Ed 1951 births American male journalists Living people Chicago Reader people Journalists from Chicago