NPC doing well as gavel passes to Hughes

Elected leaders of the National Press Club cited new initiatives, improving finances and stabilized membership as major accomplishments in 2014 as Myron Belkind passed the presidential gavel to John Hughes at the club's annual general membership meeting on Friday, Jan. 16.

Hughes, who will be inaugurated as the 108th president of the Club on Saturday, Jan. 24, told members he is fortunate to become president when the Club is strong and "in a position to have a great year." Among his goals will be to continue building the Club's cash reserves, boosting membership and expanding on freedom on the press and international initiatives begun by Belkind. He noted that two-thirds of 2014 committee chairs will continue in their positions this year because of their good work in 2014.

Membership chairman Marc Wjono noted that although the Club lost a net of 38 members in 2014, the drop to 3,188 was far less than prior years when many jobs in journalism were being eliminated. The Club enrolled 313 new members in 2014 and established reciprocal agreements with press clubs in Prague and Karachi plus the University Club of Michigan State University in Lansing, Mich.

Treasurer Tommy Burr said the Club made a $900,000 profit on revenues of $12.6 million, its eighth consecutive year of profitability. The reserve fund increased to $2.5 million, up $693,000 over 2013 but still below the Club's 2014 goal of $3.5 million and what the Club's auditors would like to set aside for a rainy day. He said the Club aims to increase revenue by $1 million this year and to continue boosting the reserve fund by setting aside half of its profit. Burr noted the Club's business activities subsidize the cost of membership and that it faces increasing competition from other venues such as the adjacent J.W. Marriott Hotel.

Belkind, who received a standing ovation for his stewardship in 2014, called serving as Club president "the culmination of my professional life and my highest honor." He thanked Club volunteers, the Board of Governors, and executive director Bill McCarren and his staff for contributing to a successful 2014. He gave special thanks to Bernie Krug Award winners John Donnelly for leading the freedom of the press committee and Jan Du Plain for her work on international issues. He also cited Donna Leinwand Leger for being the Club's top recruiter in 2014 by sponsoring more than 20 new members, and speakers committee chairman Jerry Zremski for winning the annual John Cosgrove Award, which honors outstanding continuing service to the Club by former presidents. Zremski was president in 2007. Cosgrove, who attended the membership meeting, was president in 1961.

Belkind opened the meeting with a moment of silence in memory of the 12 Charlie Hebdo journalists killed Jan. 7 in Paris and called on Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to free three Al Jazeera journalists still being imprisoned in spite of having their convictions overturned. Belkind, who since ending his Associated Press career 10 years ago has been teaching at George Washington University, also called on journalists to "maintain the highest professional standards to ensure accuracy in all our reporting and to ensure that no one does anything to damage his or her own credibility or that of our profession."

He noted a change in Club policy to make clear to outside groups that public events held at the Club must be on-the-record unless other arrangements are made with the reporters. The policy addresses criticism the Club received last year when an event organized by an outside organization was off the record but not clearly labeled as such prior to the event.