Npc Update-1

Local news across the U.S. continues to struggle as the pandemic adds to the financial losses that newspapers, radio stations and other media have suffered for years. With declining revenue from advertising and subscriptions, news outlets have resorted to cutting deeply into the personnel in their newsrooms. In this episode of Update-1, Broadcast Podcast team member Bill Loveless talks to Steve Waldman, the president and co-founder of Report for America, a nonprofit program that puts journalists into local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. Report for America placed 226 reporters in 46 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico in 2020, and aims to increase that number to 1,000 by 2024. It will begin accepting applications for its 2021-22 class in December.  Steve crafted the plan for Report for America after authoring a Federal Communications Commission report “Information Needs of Communities,” which NPR described as “one of the most comprehensive overviews of the U

Every election cycle is rich in political communication with numerous lessons not just for ordinary voters, but also journalists and communicators. In this edition of Update-1, recorded while the final votes were still being tallied, NPC Broadcast/Podcast co-vice chair Adam Konowe speaks with American University School of Communications professor and History Affiliate professor Leonard Steinhorn. Steinhorn has published numerous books and articles on politics, race and other enduring issues. He currently serves as a political analyst for CBS Radio News and also has worked as a political consultant and speechwriter. This episode covers factors behind the rise of Donald Trump, his challenge by former Vice President Joe Biden, lessons from down-ballot races, and how disruption manifests itself in society well beyond politics.

The late actor Chadwick Boseman left a void not only in the entertainment industry but for many young people in the country. Boseman died from colon cancer in August at the age of 43.  In this edition of Update-1, Gemma Puglisi, a member of the National Press Club's Broadcast Podcast Committee, interviews Dr. Wayne Frederick,  the president of Howard University in Washington, D.C., Boseman's alma mater. Dr. Frederick, an oncologist, discusses Boseman's impact at Howard as well as his colon cancer diagnosis and the rise of the disease in young people. He also talks about the great commencement speech Boseman gave in 2018 at Howard and what the actor leaves behind.

The National Press Club’s 21st annual photo exhibit is on display virtually at https://technewslit.com/npc/photoex2020/. In this edition of Update-1, broadcast/podcast co-vice chair Adam Konowe spoke with photo team co-chair Alan Kotok about the evolution of the exhibit in a time of pandemic and social unrest. Konowe also interviewed two photographers whose work is part of this year’s exhibit. Dianne Stamm submitted two of her close-up photos of subjects in the Middle East: a female beggar in Jerusalem and a street vendor in Petra. Ron Hoffer’s four photographs on exhibit are a subset of 85 included in a new photo memoir, “From the Bronx to Berlin and Beyond.” Kotok hopes the online exhibit will return to the Club’s lobby once operational conditions permit.

As part of the National Press Club’s efforts to support the careers of future journalists, the club awards three annual scholarships to college students who plan to study journalism. Two of the awards, the Richard G. Zimmerman Journalism Scholarship and the Julie Schoo Award for Diversity in Journalism, are awarded to freshmen, while the Feldman Fellowship for Graduate Studies in Journalism is awarded to first year graduate students. In this episode of Update-1, NPC Broadcast Podcast member Sarah Dolezal interviews the co-chairs of the NPC Scholarship Awards Committee, Alicia Mundy and Gillian Rich. They discuss the competitive nature of the awards, the process of choosing a winner and the impact these awards have on the winners' careers.

President Dwight Eisenhower was in the White House during a transformational time, and his granddaughter says his goal was to unite the country with "middle road" ideas that would allow people to resolve their differences and compromise.  In this edition of Update-1, NPC Broadcast Podcast team member Irv Chapman talks to Susan Eisenhower about her latest book, "How Ike Lead." She discusses how the president always listened to dissenting points of view and took responsibility for his decisions.  She also talks about the closeness of her family allowing her to get to know her grandfather very well but also being taught to "compartmentalize" her relationship with him from his role as president. And she elaborates about her desire to become a journalist early in her career before her pivot into strategic communications. 

Retired Associated Press reporter Michael Graczyk may have witnessed more executions than any journalist in American history. Working at the AP’s Houston bureau, one of Graczyk’s assignments was to cover the Texas Department of Corrections. As part of his job, he witnessed hundreds of executions over his nearly 46-year AP career. In this edition of Update-1, Graczyk talks to NPC Broadcast Podcast member Shannon Fisher about the manner in which he approached his unique and heavy role as a reporter, sharing stories of his interactions with the families of the victims, the inmates and the loved ones of inmates who watched as the death penalty was carried out. 

Diane Foley, president and founder of the James Foley Legacy Foundation, discusses the mission and work of the organization started in memory of her son, James Foley, on this edition of Update-1. James Foley was a freelance correspondent, videographer, and conflict journalist covering the Syrian war when he was killed by ISIS in August of 2014, the first American citizen killed by the Islamic state.  Diane Foley also discusses the recent report released by the nonprofit on the state of hostages, those still missing, and the work ahead.  She also shares with Gemma Puglisi, a member of the National Press Club's broadcast team, the recent honorees of the Freedom Awards in memory of her son.

Trends in journalism education and in the profession have steadily changed over the last 10 years. One of the big changes is the increasing number of women who are pursuing degrees in mass media or communications. Their enrollment numbers have increased at both the undergraduate and graduate levels compared to male students. In this episode of Update-1, Dr. Tudor Vlad, the director of the James M. Cox Jr. Center for International Mass Communication Training and Research at the University of Georgia, discusses gender trends at colleges and universities and in the journalism profession with Broadcast/Podcast team member Sarah Dolezal. Dr. Vlad also highlights the challenges in reopening college campuses amid the coronavirus outbreak. Adjusting to online learning while balancing career aspirations is tricky for students studying mass media and communications, and remains a hot topic for staff, faculty, and industry experts.

The relationship between the United States and China is fast emerging as the number one American foreign policy priority. In this edition of Update-1, Broadcast Podcast Team member Lincoln Smith speaks with Dr. Jonathan Ward, an internationally recognized expert on Chinese Global Strategy. Earning his PhD at the University of Oxford and undergraduate degree at Columbia University, Dr. Ward is the founder of Atlas Organization, a Washington D.C. and New York-based consultancy. He has worked with the U.S. Department of Defense and American companies on China's long term strategy. In this interview, Dr. Ward discusses the state of press freedom in Hong Kong, China's objectives, how China intends to get what it wants and how the U.S. should respond.

The national protests following the death of George Floyd proved to be at times a hostile environment for journalists. Some reporters were arrested, while others were targeted with tear gas, shot at with rubber bullets and pepper-sprayed. The Committee to Protect Journalists is investigating hundreds of reports of violence against journalists covering the protests. On this edition of Update-1, Broadcast Podcast team member Mike Hempen talks to CPJ Advocacy Director Dr. Courtney Radsch, who says she was “shocked” by what she saw. Dr. Radsch discusses the updated safety advisories CPJ issued to reporters covering the protests, and what news organizations, journalists and the public can do in response to these incidents.

Award-winning and Emmy-nominated journalist Scott Simmie knows a thing or two about back-story and his new podcast “BMO Inside Stories” provides the forum to share insightful, motivating and even surprising stories from a cross-section of North American guests. In this edition of Update-1, NPC Broadcast/Podcast team co-vice chair Adam Konowe interviews Simmie about the genesis and lessons of his podcast. They also discuss recent developments in journalism and PR, from the divergent paths taken by the U.S. and Canada to cope with COVID-19 to the future of emerging technologies and how PR professionals should communicate about them to build and maintain trust.

The COVID-19 pandemic is causing healthcare and economic woes around the world, and some governments are using the global crisis as an opportunity to seize control of information flowing from and within their borders.  With press freedom increasingly under attack, many journalists find it difficult to collect and provide details about COVID-19, especially in nations that have been hot spots for the virus. In this edition of Update-1, Broadcast Podcast team member Shannon Fisher speaks with Executive Director of Reporters Without Borders (a.k.a. Reporters sans Frontières, or RSF) USA Dokhi Fassihian about the challenges journalists face during this global pandemic and the work RSF is doing to protect journalists who encounter severe interference in the course of gathering details about COVID-19.

Founded in 1933 during the Great Depression, the NewsGuild has represented reporters and other employees at news operations through good and bad times, bargaining for improved wages and working conditions and promoting honesty in journalism. Now, amid a pandemic and another extraordinary economic downturn, the NewsGuild is pushing hard for measures to aid its members as newspapers and other news media in the U.S. and Canada lay off and furlough reporters and cut their salaries to compensate for lost advertising revenue. Among the steps sought by the NewsGuild is one that is extraordinary for a union representing journalists: financial aid from the government. In this edition of Update-1, National Press Club Broadcast Podcast team member Bill Loveless talks to Jon Schleuss, the president of the NewsGuild, about this and other steps the union is taking to protect its members. “It’s a concern,” Schleuss tells Update-1. “And what we’re looking at potentially is an extinction-level event where we could lose the en

Timely and reliable news reporting is more important than ever now as the coronavirus pandemic spreads rapidly across the world. The challenge is a daunting one for journalists faced not only with the task of sorting through complicated and often contradictory information but also the risk of contracting COVID-19, the infectious disease caused by the new virus. And even as people turn to the news media for information on the crisis, many U.S. newspapers are letting go of reporters and editors as advertising all but disappears. In this edition of Update-1, Broadcast Podcast Committee member Bill Loveless talks to Jon Allsop, who writes a newsletter called “The Media Today” produced by the Columbia Journalism Review. Jon is tracking reporting on COVID-19 in the U.S. and globally as well as the pandemic’s devastating financial impact on newsroom staffs.

Many professional communicators, including National Press Club members, learned their craft in schools of communication here in Washington and beyond. In this edition of Update-1, NPC Broadcast/Podcast Committee co-vice chair Adam Konowe speaks with fellow committee member and American University School of Communications Professor Gemma Puglisi. Joining them is Jolene Levesque, an AU undergraduate majoring in public relations, to discuss AU’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America and its activities for PR majors like her.

National Security is the focus of this edition of Update-1. Broadcast Podcast Committee member Lincoln Smith speaks with Dr. John Lenczowski, founder and president of the Institute of World Politics, which is dedicated to teaching the art of statecraft. They discuss some books and lectures relating to the state of today's global strategic environment, including Eric Hoffer’s book "The True Believer; Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements," and the Kuklinski Museum Discussion Series, “Poland, the U.S. and NATO: Confronting the Russian Threat." Dr. Lenczowski also comments on the state of press freedom in China.

With a field of primary candidates as large as the Democrats’ in 2020, keeping up-to-date with election news is challenging. The process is even more daunting for political journalists who gather ever-changing data from candidates, pollsters, strategists, and voters across the country. Effectively analyzing and organizing this information into an easily digestible package for the public is a skill that takes years to develop. CNN’s John King, host of Inside Politics, has spent his career covering elections from nearly every angle. King talks to NPC Broadcast/Podcast team member Shannon Fisher about capturing the of-the-moment essence of elections, finding the pulse of America, and the manner in which media coverage of general elections differs from that of crowded primaries.

On Sunday, March 8, the world celebrates International Women’s Day with the theme of #eachforequal, promoting that an equal world is an enabled world. New Zealand women will join millions of other women around the world participating in events marking the day. NPC Broadcast/Podcast co-vice chair Adam Konowe discusses this topic with NPC member and freelance reporter Victoria Gaither, now based in New Zealand, and Heather Hutchings, chair of the Porirua Chamber of Commerce near the capital city of Wellington. Both women address upcoming IWD events, reelection prospects for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, last year’s deadly mosque shooting and volcano eruption, and other developments.

What did you think of the media coverage of the impeachment process involving President Trump? Was it fair, or did it lean left or right? Broadcast/Podcast team member Bill Loveless discusses these topics and more with Jason Mollica, a professorial lecturer in the American University School of Communication. Mollica talks about news outlets he relied on for updates, the various perspectives different news organizations provided and how the reporting of the Trump impeachment differed from previous impeachment coverage.