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

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

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

Cecil Adams Cecil Adams is the pseudonymous author of ''The Straight Dope'', a popular question and answer column published in ''The Chicago Reader'' from 2 February 1973 to 2018. The true identity of Adams, whether a single individual or a group of authors, ...

, the

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

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 1973 in ...

" (published by the ''

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

'' and nationally syndicated from 1997 to 2018).

Biography

Zotti is a native of

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. He attended high school at

Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary was an American seminary preparatory school administered by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago for young men considering the priesthood. Located in downtown Chicago at 103 East Chestnut Street, a ...

, where he served as editor of student newspapers. He graduated from

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

, 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, photographic, 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, orga ...

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 . Other common newspaper formats include the smaller Berliner (format), Berliner and Tabloid (newspaper format), ta ...

. 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 (disambiguation), exe., Exec (disambiguation), 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 (exec ...

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: journalistic criticism that appears regularly in newspapers, magazines and other popular mass-media outlets ...

for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. 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 William Poundstone is an American author, columnist, and skeptic. He has written a number of books including the ''Big Secrets'' series and a biography of Carl Sagan. Early life and education Poundstone attended MIT and studied physics. Personal ...

'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 Copy editing (also known as copyediting and manuscript editing) is the process of revising written material (copy (written), copy) to improve readability and fitness, as well as ensuring that text is free of grammatical and factual errors. ''The C ...

and

research assistant A research assistant (RA) is a researcher employed, often on a temporary contract, by a university, a research institute or a privately held organization, for the purpose of assisting in academic or private research. Research assistants are not in ...

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 Writers from Chicago