Today: World Press Freedom Day Events at National Press Club

News Advisory:

Below are National Press Club World Press Freedom Day events that take place on May 3. World Press Freedom Day has always been important to the mission and purpose of the Club. In 2011 – the only year where WPFD took place in the United States – it was held at the National Press Club.

9 a.m. EDT

Event:  National Press Club news briefing to provide updates and status of cases of  U.S. journalists: Austin Tice, Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva. 

When:  Friday, May 3 at 9 a.m. EDT 

Where: National Press Club, 529 14th Street NW Washington, DC, 13th Floor 

Who: Debra Tice, mother of Austin Tice, a journalist held in Syria; Paul Beckett of WSJ will speak for Evan Gershkovich, held in Russia; Stephen Capus, President RFE.RL will speak for Alsu Kurmasheva; Emily Wilkins, President, National Press Club

Details:
Wilkins will conduct one-on-one interviews with each guest. This event is open to all credentialed press and members of the National Press Club.  Registration required. The event will also be livestreamed here. 

Background:
Austin Tice: Mr. Tice, a Polk Award-winning journalist who worked for McClatchy and the Washington Post was detained in 2012.  The U.S. has recently held direct talks with Syria about issues including Austin’s safe return. On August 14, 2024, he will have been held 12 years – longer than any U.S. journalist. He is from Houston.  

Evan Gershkovich: Mr. Gershkovich was reporting for the Wall Street Journal when unjustly detained by Russian security forces. He has been held more than a year without trial. He is charged with espionage, which is vehemently denied by his employer and his government. Evan was fully credentialed by Russia to report in Russia. His family lives in Philadelphia.

Alsu Kurmasheva: Ms Kurmasheva, an editor for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty was visiting her mother in Russia and was detained upon departure. She has dual U.S.-Russian citizenship. She is detained for failure to register as a foreign agent. The U.S. government has not yet declared her wrongfully detained even though she meets all criteria. She has been held about 200 days. She lives in Prague with her husband and teenage daughters.

1 p.m. EDT 

Event: Round Table Discussion on State of Press Freedom in past year

Note: This event will be streamed LIVE via the Club’s YouTube Channel and will take place in the NPC Studios but there will be no in-person audience. 

Who: Jason Rezaian of the Washington Post; Paul Beckett of the Wall Street Journal; Laila Al-Ariane of Al Jazeera; Bill McCarren, Press Freedom consultant, National Press Club 

Details:
This 90 minute discussion will explore the year’s most significant stories in press freedom and the state of press freedom around the globe. The video is available for free and unrestricted use.

3 p.m. EDT

Event: Video Interview with Pavel Butorin, husband of Alsu Kurmasheva

Details:
Club will post a video interview with Pavel Butorin in discussion with Club President Emily Wilkins. The interview will include a major announcement for Alsu Kurmasheva. Pavel is a journalist and the husband of Alsu Kurmasheva an editor for RFE/RL who is currently held in Russia. Emily is a correspondent for CNBC.

The video is available for free and unrestricted use.