The National Press Club

As we prepare to close the books on my NPC presidency and celebrate the inauguration of Theresa Werner, let's take a look at 2011 and some of the more interesting or amusing moments at our historic Club. In no particular order, here we go.

A note about journalistic objectivity, which I take quite very seriously. And I know it is an issue of concern to our Club members as well as the general public.

On occasion, we will have an NPC Luncheon where the audience is partly comprised of guests of members, who are not journalists. While our Club constitution requires that a majority of our members are in the Journalist category, we have many wonderful members who are in the Communicator category. They are not bound by the same professional framework as journalists.

There are many ways for our members to derive tremendous value out of the National Press Club. And the reasons to be a member vary among individuals, depending on their needs and interests, of course. As we try to fulfill those interests, one of the biggest challenges for an NPC president is to work to ensure that each of our more than two dozen member-populated committees are vibrant.

One of the things that makes the National Press Club unique stems from its genesis more than a century ago as a place where journalists shared the company of one another. Many things have changed since those early days. Journalists, and other professionals, face constant pressure to produce. For those with families, there are added demands on time.