Club bar continues to serve Washington insight along with libations

The late legendary news anchor Walter Cronkite credited the National Press Club bar – the Reliable Source – as a venue for informal education about the ways of Washington, Club President Mark Hamrick notes in his latest blog post.

In his Aug. 30 note, which can be found on the Club homepage (www.press.org) under the heading “From the President’s Desk,” Hamrick provides a link to an interview in which Cronkite describes how the watering hole was a portal for reporters to gain insight about the idosyncrasies of the capital.

“The Reliable Source bar and restaurant are no less significant contributors to our members’ experiences today,” Hamrick writes. “But we have become a bit more systematic in providing professional training and other professional benefits to our journalist and communicator members.”

Hamrick cites the annual Journalism Bootcamp as well as numerous classes on topics such as video editing, writing for the Web, digital photography and career coaching that are offered to members at little or no cost.

Cronkite was the first winner of the Club’s Fourth Estate Award in 1973.