NPC Update-1 Podcast

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...

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 f...

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 m...

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...

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...

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 Believe...

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...

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...

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 pers...

Nonprofit newsrooms provide necessary services to communities across the country, and they are the focus of this edition of Update-1. NewsMatch Project Director Jason Alcorn talks to NPC Broadcast/Podcast Committee member Shannon Fisher about the role of nonprofit news and the struggle independent news organizations have funding local watchdog journalism.

How much of a factor will disinformation be in the 2020 presidential election? In this edition of Update-1, Paul Barrett, the deputy director of the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights, talks to Broadcast/Podcast Committee member Irv Chapman about the spread of disinformation that already has occurred, the different forms of disinformation and some examples of how it has played out. Bar...

With a broadcast journalism career spanning over 50 years, Irv Chapman has reported for Radio Press International and ABC News and now is with Bloomberg News. During his time with ABC, Irv was assigned to cover the Vietnam War. In this edition of Update-1, NPC Broadcast/Podcast Committee member Lincoln Smith talks to Irv about his time in Vietnam and how what he reported on might apply to a curren...

With fewer newspapers still in business, and constrained budgets of those that remain, foundation and donor-supported organizations are seeking to fill the gap by sponsoring reporting trips to far-away places, producing stories that even top news media welcome. On this edition of Update-1, longtime Press Club member Irv Chapman interviews the executive editor of one prominent journalism organizati...

Can you spell the scientific name for bedbugs? You can bet Washington Post humor columnist Alexandra Petri (pronounced Pea’-try) can. Not only did she write a recent column taking on the persona of a bedbug incensed at being dragged into the muck of U.S. politics, she’s also a champion speller. In this edition of Update-1, National Press Club Broadcast/Podcast Committee member Viola Gienger has a...

The NPC’s annual photo exhibit is on display in the Club’s lobby through September 27. Broadcast/podcast co-vice chair Adam Konowe spoke to photo team co-chair Alan Kotok about the evolution of the exhibit and its relevance in today’s critical society. Konowe also interviewed Aileen Schlef about her photos at a Washington, D.C. church, as well as Molly McCartney, who captured life in Syria before...

The Internet is a global distribution platform, but along with such unprecedented technology and capability to instantly communicate, there area many overarching questions. What is the state of press freedom? How often is the First Amendment observed? What is the status of Freedom of Information? And how have the media changed from the 1960's to today? In this edition of Update-1, National Press C...

With the 2020 election campaign well under way, the Democrats have a front runner, thanks in part to the name recognition Joe Biden acquired as senator, vice president, and a previous presidential candidate. On this edition of Update One, longtime Press Club member Irv Chapman interviews Larry Barrett, a veteran journalist who covered Biden's short-lived campaign in 1988, when Senator Gary Hart wa...

In the wake of the deadliest assault on journalists in U.S. history, a permanent memorial is being planned to commemorate America’s commitment to a free press and honor news reporters and photographers who have sacrificed their lives in service to that cause. In this edition of Update-1, National Press Club member Bill Loveless talks with David Dreier, the chairman of Tribune Publishing Company an...

The Museum of Public Relations, founded by veteran communications practitioner and lecturer Shelley Spector, recently added an exhibit of 50 items from Harold Burson, founder of Burson-Marsteller. The legendary PR executive, now 98, attended the unveiling with more than 100 young communicators present. Spector talked by phone from the museum to NPC Broadcast/Podcast Team co-vice-chair Adam Konowe...

Did you know the National Press Club has an American Legion post embedded within the club? On this edition of Update-1, the commander of that post, NPC member Jim Noone, talks with Broadcast/Podcast Team member Tom Young about the long and colorful history of the Post 20, which this year is celebrating its centennial. They discuss how the post began, its notable members both past and present, the...

America’s young people are learning how to separate fact from fiction in the information avalanche that hits them every day. The National Association for Media Literacy recently held its annual conference in Washington, D.C. National Press Club member Irv Chapman interviews three of its leading participants on this edition of Update-1. Belinha de Abreu of Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn...

Congressman David Cicilline is a strong believer in the importance of a free and diverse press. In this edition of Update-1, the Rhode Island Democrat sits down with National Press Club member Bill Loveless to discuss legislation he introduced to allow local news outlets to negotiate collectively with large online platforms like Facebook and Google. From his office on Capitol Hill, Cicilline discu...

Although President Trump says he abruptly called off military strikes on Iran last month, American troops are involved in conflicts around the world. In this edition of Update-1, National Press Club member Mike Hempen talks with Emily Manna, a policy analyst for Open the Government, a nonpartisan coalition that believes in a stronger democracy and a more open, accountable, and responsive governmen...

Tim Robinson, editor-in-chief of the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Aerospace magazine, spoke with NPC Broadcast/Podcast Team co-vice chair Adam Konowe about developments at the 2019 Paris Air Show. The biennial event, held in odd-numbered years, saw sales of existing products from Airbus, Boeing and others; the introduction of new products; progress on efficiency and environmental technology; and t...

Peter Bradfield, founder of the Aerospace Media Dinner held annually on the eve of the biennial Paris and Farnborough Air Shows, talks to NPC Broadcast/Podcast Team co-vice chair Adam Konowe about this year’s event. Held on June 16 at the Aéro Club de France, nearly 20 journalists were recognized for aviation-related coverage, including civil and military sectors, plus business and technology. Ame...