writer

The 61-year-old O’Brien has honed his distinctive brand of self-deprecating and absurdist comedy over more than three decades of television, beginning as a writer on “Saturday Night Live” and “The Simpsons” in the 1980s and ’90s before moving into the late-night arena, where he hosted “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien” and “Conan.”

Jason Johnson is a political contributor at MSNBC, host at Sirius XM, politics writer at theGrio.com, professor of politics and journalism at Morgan State University, and author of the book Political Consultants and Campaigns: One Day to Sell.

Emily Bazelon is a staff writer at the New York Times Magazine, the author of Charged and Sticks and Stones, and co-host of the Slate Political Gabfest.

Times staff writer Nardine Saad contributed to this report.

Under its president, the writer Amin Maalouf, the dictionary committee meets every Thursday morning and after discussion gives its ruling on definitions that have been drawn up in preliminary form by outside experts.