Nov. 25, 2024: Press Freedom Center launches at the National Press Club tonight
Monday Morning Magic from Inkandescent® PR + Publishing Co. — As a longtime journalist, I have been honored to write for publications including The Washington Post, USA Today, Costco’s magazine, and many more. To learn more about the craft of journalism and what it means to be a great reporter, I have turned to my colleagues for inspiration and guidance as a longtime member of the Washington, DC-based National Press Club.
“Journalism is not a crime” is a comment regularly made by the Club’s current president, Emily Wilkins, a CNBC correspondent for the network’s Washington, D.C. bureau, covering Congress, key regulatory issues, and policies that impact American businesses and the economy.
She is part of the team that will officially launch The Press Freedom Center today. “We are on a mission to defend press freedom by assisting detained, threatened, or exiled journalists through advocacy, direct support, and community.”
Why is the Center needed? “There are a number of excellent press freedom organizations helping journalists and advocating for press freedom worldwide. Each has an area where they specialize, and we are grateful for their work on this common cause,” adds fellow Club member Bill McCarren, Director of the Center. “Through the work the Club has done over the past decade-plus, we identified at least two important unmet needs: advocating for detained American journalists and supporting them after they return home and assisting exiled reporters in the U.S. Our work has already made us a leader in these areas and the structure of the Center will allow us to do more than ever before.”
Scroll down for details, and stay tuned for more information about the work that this important new Center will do.
Until next Monday: May we all have the determination and courage to fight for what we know to be true, fair, and good.” — Hope Katz Gibbs, founder and president, Inkandescent® Inc. Inkandescent.us
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Bill McCarren, Director, National Press Club’s Press Freedom Center
Why a Press Freedom Center?
About the project: Throughout the Club’s history, we have aided journalists through advocacy, support, and resources. In recent years, we have become a leader in advocating for the safe return of detained American journalists — and once free, we support them as they recover. We help journalists exiled from their home countries find a stable footing to continue their reporting in the U.S. Throughout it all, we continue to dedicate ourselves to helping journalists in America with press freedom issues. Our work is critical, but it is also ad hoc. There has been no dedicated staff or funding for our press freedom initiatives. As threats to journalists and news organizations grow, the time has come to solidify, formalize, and strengthen the Club’s commitment to press freedom so we can continue to be a beacon for journalists for decades to come.
So is the Center just formalizing the work we’re already doing, or is there new stuff? A few new things are in the works, including grants to exiled reporters and relationships with outside groups who can help exiled reporters with things like legal assistance, careers, housing, transportation, food and other needs. We also hope to boost our efforts to ensure detained or exiled journalists have the protections they need.
Why is the Center needed? How is it different from other press freedom organizations? There are a number of excellent press freedom organizations helping journalists and advocating for press freedom worldwide. Each has an area where they specialize, and we are grateful for their work on this common cause. Through the work the Club has done over the past decade-plus, we identified at least two important unmet needs: advocating for detained American journalists and supporting them after they return home and assisting exiled reporters in the U.S. Our work has already made us a leader in these areas and the structure of the Center will allow us to do more than ever before.
Who is running the Center? Bill McCarren will be the Center’s director. During his time as the Club’s executive director, Bill helped cultivate the relationships and used the Club’s power to help numerous journalists who were imprisoned, facing serious threats, or needing assistance. Bill’s deep ties in Congress, the White House, the executive branch, and among stakeholders, news organizations, and press freedom groups have helped channel the Club’s influence into helping journalists in need. A key part of Bill’s role as director is succession planning so the Club can remain a leader in press freedom for decades to come.
Jason Rezaian, Press Freedom Center
Jason Rezaian is also involved. We are grateful to have Jason as part of the Press Freedom Center. Jason is a consultant for the Press Freedom Center and the chair of the Advisory Board, a non-governing board made up of individuals to assist the Center in its goals. Jason and Bill have worked together to help dozens of journalists over the past decade, and Jason also will be a key part of the Center’s fundraising. Jason’s full-time role at The Washington Post as director of press freedom initiatives complements his role with the Press Freedom Center. Jason has the Post’s full support as he helps launch this new initiative.
How is this being funded? Throughout its history, the Club has been the main funder of its press freedom activities. By opening up a pathway to work with outside organizations, we will amplify our ability to help journalists in need. The Club has invested $500,000, and the Institute, in addition to being the fiscal sponsor, will be investing another $100,000. This is meant to cover costs as the Center launches and gets established.
How is the Center organized? The National Press Club Journalism Institute, a 501(c)(3), acts as the fiscal sponsor for the Center. The Center is an LLC within the Institute, meaning it can accept tax-deductible donations. A steering committee of five leaders governs the center: the president and executive director of the Press Club, the president and executive director of the NPCJI, and one other Press Club member, who is the vice president of the Club. The director will report to the Steering Committee regularly with updates and financial information, much like the executive directors of the Club and Institute report to their boards.
What is the relationship between the Center and the National Press Club Journalism Institute? Both entities will coordinate with each other but are separate in some key respects. They will have independent staff, budgets, and bank accounts and be responsible for fundraising. We expect the Center and Institute to coordinate or work together on some grants or projects. Donations can be made directly to the Press Freedom Center, but the acknowledgment letter will come from the Journalism Institute as part of the arrangement between the two organizations.