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When the National Press Club suffered financial difficulties and more than half its membership decided not to renew, a number chose to remain in support of the National Press Club of Canada Foundation. Some of them have not only renewed their own memberships but are introducing their colleagues to the Foundation. For 80 years , surmounting seemingly insoluble problems, the National Press Club depended on the members to see that it continued as an indispensible asset to the members of Canada's Fourth Estate. Now, with continued dedication from the news writing community, the NPCC Foundation is doing what it can to survive and flourish.
Journallst Judith Miller, before being jailed for refusing to disclose her source, made this statement to U.S. Chief District Judge Thomas F. Hogan:
"The freest and fairest societies are not only those with independent judiciaries, but those with an independent press that works every day to keep government accountable by publishing what the government might not want the public to know. Journalists are not perfect, but Thomas Jefferson put it best: if he had to choose between government and newspapers, he would choose the latter, because
the latter is the long-term guarantor of the former."
Now is the time for past members, and new members to rally. We have moved to a great new central location where a hospitable and talented staff provides fine meals, bright dining rooms, and comfortable lounges, one of which is dedicated specifically to our Club. Long before our Club rented space in the government building on Wellington Street, we occupied hotels and restaurants around town. Back to these roots is not a bad idea, in fact it has been considered to be a very sensible move.
I wonder if members of The National Press Club of Canada realize that this is not just a convenient place to meet friends and relax. It is that, but also this Club fulfills a vital role in Canada.
Long-standing commitments to professional development begin with our famous Newsmaker Breakfasts.
There is also a valuable series of luncheons and dinners featuring leaders in every arena, often conducted under the Press Club's auspices by affiliated groups.
National Press Club members are privileged to hear, question and meet our politicians, government and opposition, law-makers, scientists, industrialists, professionals in many fields and dignitaries from over a hundred foreign embassies located in our city. All NPC members have an opportunity to follow up and discover facts behind the news as all these NPC activities initiate valuable contacts for future interviews.
Of special significance among the Press Club's eminent contributions to the professional development of journalists are the NPC International Press Freedom Awards, and the hugely successful NPC International Cartoon Competitions, and we have now embarked on an ambitious Scholarships program.
Seeing stars at the Press Club?
It wasn't just because we had a few more members that the good ol' days were so good, but because they gathered at the Club more often. Seeing and being seen, hearing and being heard at the National Press Club was all part of the grand scheme of working in Ottawa.
Then one day, so the legend goes, one less than astute columnist published off-hand, off-record remarks heard at the De Poe Bar. (Norm would have spun in his grave!) The lame excuse was that "nothing is off the record." Everyone else knew better and reliably kept Press Club gossip to themselves, but the damage was done and the memory lingers on.
Times have changed, though, and all that is put to rest. Today the Club is safe for pundits, politicians, diplomats and all who serve them. "What they say in the Club will stay in the Club."
Lunch meetings, scheduled interviews, newsmaker speeches, seminars and lectures are all reportable features at the National Press Club, but casual remarks overheard by members and visitors are not. Whosoever breaks that trust shall be anathema.
Like a breath of fresh air, new members have come to join and old members are coming back; slowly and cautiously perhaps, but there is a noteworthy trend.
The more movers and shakers who turn out for Press Club events, the more interesting it is for everyone else. With no staff, a small group of volunteers keep things humming at the Club and, more than ever, we need our high profile members to grace the premises whenever possible. Some of the new members expect to see "stars" when they attend Press Club functions, and the more they get their wish, the sooner they will return.
If you don't know whether you're a star or not, assume you are. "Be there, or be square," as Mike Duffy says.
Come on in, everyone loves to see you!
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Broadening the Scope
Recognizing the importance of cultural diversity to social and economic development, we also appreciate its necessity in conveying news and information to Canadians in every language, and in the style of every ethnic group. As a National Club, we support Canada's evolving multicultural media.
Selon l'importance de la diversitée culturelle au développement social et économique, nous apprécions aussi sa nécessité pour transmettre les nouvelles et l'information aux Canadiens et Canadiennes, dans chaque langue, et dans le style de chaque groupe ethnique. Comme un Club National, nous assistons l'évolue de la presse multiculturelle au Canada.
New faces at the Press Club
People we have never seen here before have been dropping in, and there will be more and more as the season progresses. They will want to come back, join the club, enjoy our events, make new contacts and friendships here, if we make them know they are welcome.
All it takes is a handshake, a friendly word, an interest in what they are doing. We all know well how to make a person feel welcome, but sometimes we are so involved in our old friends that we forget to include these new comers.
What more can be said? Everyone knows what it's like to walk into a strange place where you don't know anyone. It's part of the job description of press people. But some of these new members, and prospective members, aren't press people. They may be new staffers on the Hill or in any of the 100 odd embassies in town. They may even be long-standing members of these and other categories eligible to become Press Club members. Or, they may be visiting journalists from afar who have found our address and came around, hoping to meet someone interesting.
We are known as a friendly club, and it is up to those members who happen to be here when the strangers arrive, to prove it.
Some of our members are real good at welcoming strangers. Watch how easy it is for them to do it and see if you can follow their example. It's not just a matter of luring visitors to join the Club - though we DO need new members - but it is also a matter of making them know that the National Press Club of Canada can express the true, north, strong and free spirit of our Nation.
We do have a reputation to uphold.
The National Press Club of Canada is more than just a place to eat and drink. Our aims and powers are defined in our Constitution and listed on the Web site under "Our Purpose." all calculated directly or indirectly to benefit or advance the profession of journalism.
If you have a good idea as to how we can better fulfill these aims, tell the directors.
Inukshuk - a Canadian tradition
For thousands of years Inukshuks have been used by the Inuit people to mark high points of land, good hunting and fishing spots, or the way home. These cairns have symbolized trust and reassurance for those who travel across the vastness of the Arctic.
An Inukshuk is also a way of saying "We were here." This abbreviated definition prompts the notion that a news provider is an Inukshuk.
The regular accounting of what is going on here, who is taking part, when and where it's happening, and sometimes how and why, is our way as journilists of saying "we were here," providing evidence to future generations of the worthwhile and amazing things we do in this very special place. Our news also inbcludes where needed services can be found, for the same reason as the Inukshuk shows the way to good hunting and fishing.
More than that, we record for posterity how we feel about the way things are going.
When we look back into accounts of earlier days, one telling indication of those times is found in the messages sent in by readers.
A hundred years from now, people will be checking back into newspaper, radio, TV and Internet files to find out what was important to us, here and now.
The Inukshuk may seem more permanent, built of stone to withstand all the elements, but even the contents of Web sites also have a way of outlasting those who produce them as well as the original readers. They will always be conserved in the WayBack machine of Internet Archives, in libraries and museums, on film and microfiche, filed away on diskettes and compact disks, and safely stored in the searchable recesses of the World Wide Web.
Whatever is posted today lives virtually forever, proclaiming, to whomever is curious, who we are, what we are doing, what we are thinking, and most of all, simply, that we were here.
Your opinion? Suggestions?
Send them HERE.
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