Vol. LV, No. 19		Thurs., May 12, 2005

In This Issue NPC LUNCHEONS Club Newsmakers Labor Data Next Training Session for Journalists Swedish Buffet Media Veterans to Address Public Trust of Media, Ethical Dilemmas Facing Today's Journalists Embassy Nights Series Schedules Finnish Embassy Members Meeting Changes Constitution and Bylaws Ridley Scott Discusses "Kingdom of Heaven" Thomas Ricks Says Journalists to Become Experts View Exotic Animals on Club South African Trip Foundation Based on Friedheim Gift Will Preserve Film, Photos, Tape in Archives with $350,000 Grant Club Archives Facts Eric Friedheim Eric Friedheim Library Offers Journalism Tools Club Meetings COMING EVENTS Previous on-line Records Luncheon Reservations: 202 662-7501 BANQUET ARRANGEMENTS: 202 662-7515 News Conference Arrangements: 202 662-7515 Fourth Estate Reservations: 202 662-7638 24-Hour Events Hotline: 202 662-7595 Employment Hotline: 202 879-6795

Burt Rutan

NPC LUNCHEONS

Fri., May 13, Wangari Muta Maathai, 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Winner and assistant minister for environment and natural resources, Republic of Kenya . . . Thurs., May 19, Burt Rutan, spaceflight entrepreneur . . . Tues., May 24, Pat Mitchell, president and CEO, Public Broadcasting System . . . Fri., May 27, Joe Mantegna, actor and host for the Memorial Day concert on the Mall . . . Mon., June 13, Gerald R. Ford Journalism Awards.

Club Newsmakers

Fri., May 13 at 9 a.m., Art Caplan, University of Pennsylvania, and David Magnus, Stanford University, on ethical and political issues raised by the Terry Schiavo case . . . Mon., May 16 at 10 a.m., Jim Lighthizer, president of the Civil War Preservation Trust, will talk about the economic benefits of battlefield preservation . . . Tues., May 17 at 10 a.m., Dr. Hank A. McKinnell, Jr., Pfizer chairman and CEO, will discuss his new book, "A Call to Action: Taking Back Healthcare for Future Generations" . . . Tues., May 24 at 3 p.m., five U.S. ambassadors to Southeast Asian countries on developments in the region . . . Fri., June 17 at 10 a.m., U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants releases its World Refugee Survey 2005 . . . Mon., June 20 at 10 a.m., Kevin A. Ring, Herman Schwartz and Mark V. Tushnet, authors of books about the Supreme Court.

Labor Data Next Training Session for Journalists

The Journalism Training Committee invites you to the first of its Data Diving series in which the secrets of using government databases will be revealed. Gary Steinberg, press officer for the Bureau of Labor Statistics, will teach a one-hour course. The class is Mon., May 16, at 2:30 p.m., in the classroom of the library. Slots are limited to the number of computers. Free to members. Call 662-7501.

Swedish Buffet Thurs., May 19, 5:30 p.m. Reliable Source $15.50 per person

Media Veterans to Address Public Trust of Media, Ethical Dilemmas Facing Today's Journalists

Recent media scandals are at the forefront of discussion in recent months and have led to diminished public trust in the mainstream media. A professional affairs event Mon., May 16, 7-9 p.m., co-sponsored with the Society of Professional Journalists, will tackle these issues and the tough ethical dilemmas facing today's journalists. Media veterans Phil Meyer, Knight chair professor at the University of North Carolina and author of a new book, "The Vanishing Newspaper: Saving Journalism in the Information Age;" Roberta Baskin, one of the nation's most-honored investigative journalists and now executive director of the Center for Public Integrity, and Paul Moore, ombudsman and former deputy managing editor of the Baltimore Sun, will speak. Mike Getler, The Washington Post's ombudsman and former editor of the International Herald Tribune, will moderate the discussion. Call 662-7501 to reserve.

Embassy Nights Series Schedules Finnish Embassy

Join us Tues., May 24, for an evening of sauna at the Finnish Embassy that's sure to be one to remember. The event kicks off with an open bar at 6 p.m. and sauna time followed by a country presentation and buffet dinner. For some, the event could be a preview of the NPC Travel Committee's June trip to the Baltics and Helsinki. This Embassy Night is members-only (sorry, no guests) as space is limited. RSVP to kimberly_johnson@aviationnow.com. The Embassy Nights program is a joint project of the Young Members and the International Correspondents Committees. Planning is under way for visits to Asian and African embassies. Past Embassy Nights visited the Irish and Canadian embassies. The highlight of an April Embassy Night was an exclusive, sneak-preview tour of the Canadian Embassy's new media briefing center, led by Canadian Embassy Media Relations Officer and Club member Erica Fensom. The state-of-the-art facility, complete with walls of plasma televisions and modern Canadian artwork, is slated to be operational as early as the end of May.
— MARC A. WOJNO

Members Meeting Changes Constitution and Bylaws

NPC Vice President Jonathan Salant explains proposed changes. PHOTO BY MARSHALL H. COHEN

Club members resoundingly approved sweeping changes to the Club's Constitution and Bylaws at the May 6 membership meeting. The changes allow nonresident members to vote in Club elections and Affiliate/Associate Governors to vote on the annual budget in a newly created Committee of the Whole. Affiliate/Associate members can vote in committees and active members can vote on any dues increases. The changes establish a Board audit committee to comply with corporate governance rules, require that the Board meet monthly with notice published in the Record and on the Web site, and that cancellation notices also be published. Resident membership now covers those who live or work in the MD counties of Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Frederick, and Howard, and VA counties of Culpeper, Fauquier and Stafford, and the city of Fredericksburg. The cutoff age for young members rose from 34 to 35, and sexist language was eliminated. Vice President Jonathan Salant, chair of the Constitution and Bylaws Committee, called for the nearly unanimous voice vote of approval. He pointed out that the expansion of voting rights to non-residents makes the Club truly "national," and that allowing Affiliate/Associate Governors to vote on the budget does not preclude ongoing efforts to gain full Board voting rights for those governors. Full text of Constitution and Bylaws changes are on the Club's website. In other business, President Rick Dunham said that the Club is solidly in the black and that while total membership is down 4 percent from last year, the number of actives and young members has increased so much that 11 slots are now open for Associate members.
— JERRY BASTARACHE

Ridley Scott, film director, explains his new movie, "Kingdom of Heaven," as Donna Leinwand, chairman of the Board of Governors, listens. PHOTO BY MARSHALL H. COHEN

Ridley Scott Discusses "Kingdom of Heaven" Famed Hollywood film producer and director Ridley Scott, whose films include "Alien," "Blade Runner," "Thelma and Louise," "Blackhawk Down" and "Gladiator," addressed a group of 50 Club members and their guests May 3 to discuss his latest epic "Kingdom of Heaven." In a rare one-on-one interview with USA Today reporter and Club Board Chairman Donna Leinwand, Scott described his latest dramatic effort as an "historical drama" that captures a romantic view of the knights who fought bloody battles in the Middle East in the name of Christianity during the second and third Crusades. Scott hopes that the film makes one think about the religious and political turmoil in the Middle East over the past 30 years. Scott also noted his frustration about the media in criticizing his film, citing that some members of the press, in a variation of corporate espionage, got hold of his script and distributed it before the release of the film. He claims that some journalists who criticized his movie reported on events that did not exist in the film. The discussion is the latest in a series of events promoting more artistically themed programs at the Club. — MARC A. WOJNO

Thomas Ricks Says Journalists to Become Experts

The Washington Post military reporter Thomas Ricks sees journalists of the future as subject matter experts. īThe age of the general interest reporter, the age of asking questions and writing it down, is over. Journalism increasingly is going to be a job of expertise," says the two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and author of two books going on three. Ricks, invited by the Young Members Committee to tell how he became one of the most senior defense reporters in the nation, told a group of 15 journalists and public relations people on May 3 that he does not consider himself a "Pentagon reporter." "Covering military from the Pentagon is like covering the Yankees from George Steinbrenner's office," he says. So, following this simple tenet—"The story is not in the front office; it's out in the field"—Ricks told the group he digs for stories at bases, training and in Iraq. Ricks is on leave from the Post as a visiting fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, where he's writing a history of U.S. military operations in Iraq.
— GLENN MAFFEI

View Exotic Animals on Club South African Trip

The NPC trip to South Africa from Aug. 23 to Sept. 3 offers wildlife, social history and an extension to Victoria Falls. Kruger National Park, established in 1898, is unrivaled in the diversity of its life forms and is a world leader in advanced environmental management techniques and policies. The cost is $3,959 per person, double occupancy, $295 single supplement. The Sept. 2 to Sept. 6 extension to Victoria Falls is $899 per person, double occupancy, $275 single supplement. Call Richard Myer (703) 356-6884.

Foundation Based on Friedheim Gift Will Preserve Film, Photos, Tape in Archives with $350,000 Grant

At a reception May 3 honoring the life of Eric Friedheim, benefactor of the NPC library, Gil Klein, former Club president and current president of the Friends of the National Journalism Library, announced that the National Press Foundation would release $350,000 of the Friedheim donation for construction of archives with climate control to preserve the Club's film, photos and videotapes. The Friends operates the library. The archives of the Club and related organizations will be stored in the new facility. In 1990, Friedheim offered to make a $1 million trust donation to the foundation for the support of the library. His gift prompted the club to create the Friends of the National Journalism Library, which has attracted additional donations from members. As Klein said, "One generosity begets another and another." Capping the program, John Cosgrove, head of the Order of the Owl, presented Eric Friedheim's widow, Edith Friedheim, with a Golden Owl pin. — LORNA ALDRICH

Barbara Vandergrift, former library director (left) and (left to right) Tom Glad, library director; Edith Friedheim, widow of Eric Friedheim, and Rick Dunham, NPC president, gather at the May 3 reception honoring the life of Eric Friedheim. PHOTO BY MARSHALL H. COHEN

Club Archives Facts The National Press Club Archives began over 20 years ago and contain Club records such as oral histories, audio, video, transcripts of Club-sponsored events, NPC Presidents' records, and National Press Building records. The Archives are also home to the Women's National Press Club/Washington Press Club Archives, Society of Professional Journalists' Archives, Society of American Travel Writers' Archives, Overseas Writers' Archives and the papers of prominent journalists. The Archives contain over 10,000 photographs, 150 books, 300 square feet of paper records, over 3,500 audio tapes, 1,520 video tapes, 100 reel-to-reel tapes and over 1,000 artifacts.

Eric Friedheim In 1935, a young man joined the Press Club and used the library to prepare his stories for the International News Service. Fifty-five years later, in gratitude to the Club, he offered $1 million to enhance that library. During World War II, Eric Friedheim became a combat correspondent in the Army Air Corps and served in the Air Force Reserve until his retirement at age 60. After the war, Friedheim worked as the editor of Globe, a weekly travel and trade paper. In 1951, he purchased Travel Agent magazine and became its editor and publisher. In 1978 he sold Travel Agent but continued as editor-in-chief until 1999. Over the years Friedheim wrote three books: "Fighters Up: The Official History of American Fighter Pilots in the Battle of Europe," "Travel Agents: from Caravans and Clippers to Concorde" and "Agents of Change: The Story of vacation.com." Eric Friedheim died June 24, 2002.

Eric Friedheim Library Offers Journalism Tools

Members of the National Press Club and those nonmembers who have paid $89 for an annual membership to the library find extensive support for journalism. The library's research services cover online data base searches (Factiva, NewsLibrary, Lexis-Nexis) by a research librarian for a fee. General research in the reference collection or on-line, as well as off-site research ($65/hour), is available. The library offers Bloomberg News, Reuters and United Press International wire services. Members who want to do their work at the Club find IBM-compatible computers available. A classroom with 15 additional computers is available for rent or Club-sponsored training for members. The library receives tax-deductible charitable deductions. For more information, call 662-7523.

Job Opportunities

MANAGING EDITOR: Association in Virginia seeks individual with seven years minimum publication/communication experience to produce and edit monthly newsletter, website, copy, scripts and speeches for key industry events. Responsibilities also include managing departmental budget and relationships with key industry trade press contacts. Experience with Adobe PageMaker and Photoshop a must. Reply Job May 12-1.

WRITER/RESEARCHER: Firm seeks excellent writer with good research skills for a book project. Knowledge of early American history a plus. Flexible schedule can be either part- or full-time. Please submit three writing samples, resume, cover letter, schedule preference and salary requirement. Reply Job May 12-2.

NOTE: Submit replies (members only) and/or future listings (50 words maximum) to the NPC Membership Office, fax to 662-7512 or E-mail: pwaldron@press.org.