The National Press Club

Fashion Designer Diane von Furstenberg introduced five award-winning female leaders, including one journalist, at a press conference Thursday at the National Press Club.

The women received 2009 Global Leadership Awards from Vital Voices along with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during a ceremony Thursday night at the Kennedy Center. The awards honor their achievements in economic entreprenuership, girls' education, anti-trafficking programs and combating violence against women.

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Nearly a third of the nation's 800 bird species are endangered, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Thursday during a press conference at the National Press Club.

Calling bird populations an indication of environmental health, Salazar called for a systemic conservation plan to restore the bird populations. Several bird populations, including many species of waterfowl such as pelicans, herons, egrets and ducks, have reversed previous declines after conservation programs restored habitats.

"Conservation can really work," he said.

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On the recommendation of Membership Secretary Mark Hamrick, the Board of Governors accepted the applications of 36 members at the Monday night board meeting.

Please say hello to these new members:

Active Alf Ole Ask – Aftenposten, Correspondent; Roman A. Holton - Ascension Media Group, LLC, President, CEO; Zoltan Mikes - World Business, Press Online News, Sr. Editor; Diana Schwaeble - American Metal Market, Washington Correspondent

Active Reinstatement Sharafat Hussain – DCTV, Producer

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Three decades ago today the House of Representatives went on TV for the first time, after the cable industry committed to gavel-to-gavel coverage via C-SPAN.
Less than a year later -- on Jan. 2, 1980 -- C-SPAN aired an NPC luncheon featuring Federal Reserve Board Chairman Paul Volker and hasn't missed a luncheon since then. All NPC luncheons are aired live or, if Congress is in session, taped and aired. Some particularly interesting programs are replayed multiple times.

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Club member Craig Klugman, editor of the Fort Wayne (Ind.) Journal Gazette, will be inducted into the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame next month.

Klugman has been editor of The Journal Gazette since 1982, during which time it has been among the state’s most award-winning newspapers. He has led many Freedom of Information efforts, including a statewide public records audit that helped lead to creation of the Indiana public access counselor’s office.

The other four inductees include former NBC “Today” host Jane Pauley. They will be inducted April 18.

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Companies and employees remain faithful to defined-contribution retirement plans despite a brutal recession, according to a report released by two benefits groups at a March 17 Newsmaker.

A survey of 505 employers shows 74 percent have not changed the amount they contribute to their workers’ 401(k) retirement accounts in the last 12 months, and they are not planning to do so in the future.

Six percent are considering a decrease, while 3 percent have eliminated the match, and 2 percent have decreased it. On the other hand, 6 percent of respondents are weighing an increase in the match.

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Gerry Adams, president of the Northern Ireland political party Sinn Fein ("We, Ourselves," in Irish Gaelic), told a March 16 Newsmaker the public reaction to the recent murder of two British soldiers and a police officer in Northern Ireland "reflect the success" of the Good Friday Agreement peace process designed to establish a united Ireland. Adams also is a Member of Parliament of Britain but refuses to take his seat because it would require an oath of loyalty to the Queen.

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A team of investigators and auditors recently recovered $13 million in previously lost or stolen reconstruction funds, Stuart Bowen, the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, said at a March 16 Newsmaker.

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Club Vice President Alan Bjerga met over brunch Saturday at the Fourth Estate restaurant with the three winners of Courage in Student Journalism Awards, who were in Washington to receive their honors.

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Congratulations to two Club members for a fine showing!

NPC member Charles Davis, associate professor of journalism studies at the University of Missouri-Columbia, won the "Journalism Teacher of the Year Award" in Scripps Howard Foundation's annual National Journalism Awards.

Davis receives $10,000 and the Charles E. Scripps award. His school also receives a $5,000 grant. The award is given in cooperation with the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

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