Austin Tice is the only American journalist currently being held overseas, and the National Press Club is spearheading an effort to bring him home. In this edition of Update 1 NPC Executive Director Bill McCarren and Austin's parents, Marc and Debra Tice, join Broadcast/Podcast Committee co-Vice Chair Mike Hempen to discuss the "Night Out For Austin Tice." The May 2 event will raise reward money for information leading to the safe return of Austin, an award-winning reporter who was taken hostage in August, 2012 while covering the Syrian civil war.

The murder in January of investigative journalist Ahmed Hussein Suale-Divela in Ghana, one of Africa’s most stable and democratic countries, shocked the country and journalists around the world. The National Press Club called for a thorough investigation, and urged Ghanaian officials to ensure that journalists can work without the threat of violence.

The National Press Club has redoubled its efforts to highlight injustices resulting from multiple verbal, legal and even physical attacks on the media. John Donnelly, chair of the club’s Freedom of the Press team, spoke with Broadcast/Podcast co-vice chair Adam Konowe about a range of domestic and international initiatives intended to reinforce the vital role journalism plays in ensuring transparency in a free society.