Today on the show, writer Mike Sacks explains how it’s easier than ever to begin a career in comedy. In his book Poking a Dead Frog, Sacks asks comedians to explain their process without killing their humor. Plus, Dru Johnston reads his essay “I Think I Should Get More Credit for Killing Hitler” from the Occasional. And Ivan Oransky of MedPage Today and Retraction Watch unwraps the illicit world of peer-review fakery.

Get The Gist by email as soon as it’s available: slate.com/GistEmail

Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/slate…id873667927?mt=2

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices