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NPC Applauds Release of Journalists held in North Korea
The National Press Club applauds the release and pardon of American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee, who arrived in California on Wednesday. The journalists had been held by North Korea since March 17 for allegedly perpetrating "hostile acts" for entering the country while reporting on North Korean refugees living in China. The journalists, of San Francisco-based Current TV, had been sentenced to 12 years working in North Korean labor camps but were pardoned by North Korean president Kim Jong Il during negotiations with former President Bill Clinton Tuesday. "We condemn the government of…
Type: News
Yunus calls for financial system to combat poverty
When reforming the global financial system to avoid a collapse like the one that fostered the current recession, world leaders should look not to Wall Street and London but rather to Bangladesh and Jackson Heights in New York City, where small, low-interest loans are helping poor people establish an economic foothold, according to the founder of an institution that specializes in such lending. Muhammad Yunus, the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner for his efforts to battle poverty, said that the Grameen Bank, which he established in Bangladesh in 1983, has not suffered during the worldwide…
Type: News
Georgian ambassador criticizes Russia for continuing instability in region
A Russian embargo and provocations in "breakaway regions" of Abkhazia and South Ossestia are fueling continuing instability in Georgia, the Georgian ambassador to the U.S. Batu Kutelia told an audience of Russian diplomats and journalists at a Newsmaker event Tuesday, marking the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Georgia. Russia is "zero for six" in complying with the terms of the August 12, 2008 ceasefire that ended the fighting between Moscow and the former Soviet republic, Kutelia said. "As a result," he said, "today, there are more Russian troops and fewer international…
Type: News
Club Mourns Loss of Long-time Member Bob Novak, Golden Owl
The National Press Club mourns the loss of its long time member and Golden Owl Robert Novak. The controversial columnist, at the heart of political storms even into his last years, died Tuesday of brain cancer. He was 78. Mr. Novak joined the National Press Club in 1957 and had made regular appearances at panels and events until announcing his retirement in July. Most recently, he recounted his remarkable 50-year career in Washington journalism at an NPC Book Rap featuring his memoir, "The Prince of Darkness: 50 Years Reporting in Washington." In his memoir, Mr. Novak recalled coming to…
Type: News
Chertoff, Hayden Defend Use of Contractors for Intel Work
Two recent top government officials defended the use of contractors in conducting intelligence work at an Aug. 20 joint Newsmaker and Book & Author event. Former CIA Director Michael Hayden and former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff explained that it is often necessary for agencies to bring in outside talent to fill a need for a particular skill. They appeared at the Press Club on a day when the intelligence contractor issue topped the news. The New York Times and The Washington Post ran front-page stories about the CIA hiring the firm Blackwater USA in 2004 to help manage…
Type: News
Nick Jonas: Ambassador for Diabetes Cure, Idol for Teen Fans
Nick Jonas, youngest member of the teen pop phenomenon the Jonas Brothers, spoke about his daily fight with type 1 diabetes at a sold-out Luncheon Monday. Jonas, 16, dressed in a navy suit, white shirt and dark striped tie, looked like the ultimate poster boy for juveniles coping with this life-threatening disease. He was diagnosed when he was 13. He feared he was going to die. “My brothers were the first to notice that I’d lost a significant amount of weight, 15 pounds in three weeks,” he said. “ I was thirsty all the time, and my attitude had changed. I’m a really positive person, and…
Type: News
Club Mourns Death of Kennedy
The National Press Club mourns the death of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. He had made more appearances at the National Press Club than any other individual in the Club's history. "Sen. Kennedy has made numerous speeches at the National Press Club over the past four decades, and we will miss hosting him," NPC President Donna Leinwand said. "Sen. Kennedy was always a gracious and informative guest who was unfailingly accessible to the media. He will be missed." The National Press Club archives include videos and recordings of the senator's numerous speeches and press conference at the Club. The…
Type: News
NPC Supports Amicus on Texas Open Meetings Act
The National Press Club has joined 22 other news organizations in an amicus brief filed Thursday by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press urging the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold the Texas Open Meetings Act. A three-judge panel earlier this year ruled the law unconstitutional, finding it violated public officials' First Amendment rights because it bars them from communicating secretly about public business. The brief argues that open meetings laws extend First Amendment rights by assuring that citizens have access to deliberations and oversight of decisions made by…
Type: News
NPC Statement on White House Policy to Disclose Visitor Logs
"The National Press Club applauds President Obama's decision to give the public greater access to White House visitor logs," NPC President Donna Leinwand said Friday. "Although the president has limited the disclosures, it is a step toward more transparency in government and a reversal of this administration's previous policy. We hope in time that the administration will allow more timely and broader access."
Type: News
Media Shield Legislation to be Debated Sept. 17
The Senate Judiciary Committee will debate the Free Flow of Information Act, a media shield bill sponsored by Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa., and Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., on Thursday, Sept. 17. Last week, the Judiciary Committee adopted a substitute amendment supported by the National Press Club and 69 other media organizations that creates qualified privilege to protect journalists from being forced to reveal confidential sources except in cases of national security and criminal conduct. "A free and vibrant press is essential to a free society," Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said Sept. 10. "…
Type: News