NPFAwardsdinner

See photos from 27th Annual Awards Dinner

2010-03-16T16:58:29-04:00

For those who missed the event, check out photos of the evening by photographer Greg Gibson on NPF’s flickr page here. See photos of the award winners as well as NPF board members, NPF dinner committee members and other guests who came out to show support for journalism. All our guests from the dinner can browse the photos to relive the fun. See yourself or anyone you know in any of the photos? Email webmaster@nationalpress.org and let us know so we can caption the photo!

Dinner Videos Available on YouTube

2010-03-04T14:14:29-05:00

The message on February 16^th at NPF’s Annual Awards Dinner was clear: Journalism matters and it always will. “There is nobody else who quite does what trained journalists do – dig up credible information critical to an honest democracy” Paul Anger said in his acceptance speech for the Benjamin Bradlee Editor of the Year Award. Watch his whole speech here:

Check out more videos from the 27^th Annual Awards Dinner on our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/NTLPressFoundation.

Journalism Matters Because...

2010-03-03T11:50:18-05:00

Prior to the National Press Foundation’s 27^th Annual Awards Dinner we wanted to hear why students and young journalists around the country believe journalism matters. We asked them, via Facebook, Twitter, and other social media, to submit brief essays on the topic. The number of quality responses that we received was overwhelming, and the essays were judged competitively. The contest’s winner was Liz Medhin, a television reporter and anchor at WHAM in Rochester, New York. This is Liz reading her essay at the dinner:

Liz’s essay was one of almost 60 essays submitted to the contest. More essay's can be read after the jump:

Journalism matters because reporters of all backgrounds have the unique opportunity to be the ears and voices of our communities. In today's society, where so much change is occurring in the economy, politics, and everyday families, journalism is the avenue in which important news is expressed. For example, I cover two small cities in the rural Crawford County, Ohio. Both cities are undergoing many changes in their respective governments while economic hardship continues to grow. Citizens need journalism to effectively inform them of tragedies, corruption, hardship and victories that make a difference in their communities.

Terricha Bradley
Mansfield News Journal, Ohio

Journalism matters because people need it. The elderly couple needs to know where the Council on Aging is distributing food. Undecided voters need to hear candidates’ platforms from an objective third party and not out of context. Parents need to know about their child’s school events because notes never make it to them. The family needs to know where to get vaccinated and the risks involved. The needs are big and small – some dire, some closer to wants. Journalism is idealistic and imperfect, but it believes strongly in service and truth. The world needs that, and in greater quantities.

Leigh Guidry
Natchitoches, Louisiana

Journalism allows the people to know what's going on in the world. Cliché, but true. How would we get information about our political leaders? About natural disasters? About inventive new products? How would we be armed with the right info to vote in election? It raises awareness about diseases, new technology, new laws, new charitable organizations. Journalists tell us about the people, the causes, and the events near us that are current and affect our lives.

Gabriel Shore
Syracuse University

Journalism matters because we are the voice of the people. It is our duty to inform, critique, and investigate. Without Journalism and mass media the world would be left to trust the tales of whoever has enough money to sway the public opinion. Journalism is unbiased, unlike love, it’s not kind or patient, but through it all one thing you can guarantee is that Journalism is truthful. It matters because without it the world would be a misinformed, less colorful, and a more corrupted place.

Dionne Buxton
University of Oklahoma

Journalism was the gateway between the mundane and the extraordinary – the pedestal upon which a select, trusted few could inform all the rest – the means by which the many were involved in their world.

It isn’t anymore.

People are creating their own news stories. As we increasingly rely on Wikipedia, Google, iWitness Reports, blogs, and Flip cameras for news, traditional journalism media fall on the back burner. But more citizen participation has generated transparency and openness in a world of secrets.

The new landscape of news includes more voices than ever. Today, journalism is vital to our democracy.

Pooja Shah
Fremont, CA

Why do you think that journalism matters? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Thanks for a Great Evening

2010-02-18T17:13:49-05:00

Thank you to all of our supporters who braved the cold weather to attend the NPF Awards Dinner on Tuesday night. It was truly inspiring to see that even in rough economic times; we were able to fill the Hilton Washington's ballroom with over 900 journalists, media professionals, policy makers and corporate executives who care about Journalism that matters.

For those who were not able to make it, you should be sure to check out articles published by NBC Washington, Politico, and The Hill’s The Washington Scene covering the event.

Thanks again for your support, and we look forward to seeing you again next year! We'll be posting photos and videos from the dinner soon, so be sure to check back.

27th Annual Awards Dinner Preview

2010-02-04T13:25:49-05:00

With less than 2 weeks to go, the countdown to the 27^th Annual Awards Dinner has officially begun. Not sure what to expect? Here’s a quick preview of the event:

The event begins at 6:30 with the pre-dinner reception. The dinner itself begins promptly at 7:30. We do our best to keep the dinner and awards presentation to less than two hours. Awards are presented in between courses, which gives guests the opportunity to socialize with their table mates, enjoy their meal and listen to the awards presentations.

During the dinner, we present seven awards. This year’s winners are:

Sol Taishoff Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism

60 MINUTES

CBS News

Kiplinger Distinguished Contributions to Journalism

Bill Kovach

Committee of Concerned Journalists

Everett McKinley Dirksen Awards for Distinguished Reporting of Congress

Brianna Keilar

CNN

Julie Hirschfeld Davis

The Associated Press

Chairman's Citation

Colbert I. King

The Washington Post

Clifford K. & James T. Berryman Award for Editorial Cartoons

Mike Keefe

Denver Post

Benjamin Bradlee Editor of the Year Award

Paul Anger

Detroit Free Press

Excellence in Online Journalism Award

The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting

The post dinner reception will follow the formal dinner program at 9:30. All-journalist band Suspicious Package will perform. This more casual reception gives guests the opportunity to relax, loosen their ties, and dance the night away.

This year we are expecting approximately 900 guests at the dinner. Table buyers are a mix of media organizations, PR and public affairs firms, corporate communications offices, and trade associations. This year’s Gold, Silver and Bronze sponsors are Allstate Insurance Company, American Honda Motor Co., the Kiplinger Foundation, Ogilvy Public Relations, Pfizer Inc., Prudential Financial, Astra Zeneca, Business Roundtable, PhRMA and Powell Tate/Weber Shandwick. A full list of this year’s sponsors is available here. In addition to table buyers, NPF also invites many of the journalists that we work with throughout the year, the Senate Press Secretaries Association and other friends of the foundation.

If you have not yet purchased your tickets, there’s still time! Visit our sponsorship options page, or contact Kerry Buker for details.

Win a Trip to Washington! Tell Us Why Journalism Matters

2010-02-01T12:50:22-05:00

The National Press Foundation is offering young journalists the chance to win an all-expenses-paid trip to its Annual Awards Dinner February 16, 2010. Move fast, the deadline to enter is February 8.
How to win?
Tell us why journalism matters, in 100 words or less. You can focus on any issue or platform you like. The winning entry will be the one that best captures the importance of journalism in today's society. Entries must be submitted through our online form. The author of the winning essay will receive round-trip air-fare and one night hotel stay in Washington to attend the National Press Foundation’s 27^th Annual Awards Dinner on February 16, 2010. One of the largest media dinners in Washington, the National Press Foundation’s Annual Awards Dinner brings together more than 1,000 journalists, media professionals, policy makers and corporate executives. The contest winner will be seated at the head table, receive recognition at the dinner, and the winning entry will be read during the evening’s program.

Entry into the Journalism Matters Essay Contest is open to U.S. residents age 18-40. Submission must be received no later than February 7, 2010. If you have questions, please contact seth@nationalpress.org. No calls, please. Employees and current or former board members of NPF or their families may not participate. NPF is a 501-c-3. See our website at www.nationalpress.org.

Dust off your Dancing Shoes

2010-01-28T16:12:41-05:00

Coming to the Dinner? Make sure you wear your dancing shoes! We recently booked all-journalist band Suspicious Package to play at the post dinner reception, sponsored by Pfizer Inc. Suspicious Package exploded onto the Washington, DC music scene in May 2008 with their sell-out premiere performance at the Red and the Black in DC’s Atlas District. They’ve since performed at the Rock and Roll Hotel, the National Press Club, the Hard Rock Café, the embassies of Finland, Italy, Denmark, and Germany, Andrews Air Force Base, the USS Intrepid aircraft carrier in New York City harbor, and other venues.

Suspicious Package plays a mix of rock, blues, punk, funk, pop, zydeco and originals. Pulitzer prize-winning Washington Post political cartoonist Toles drives the rhythm of Suspicious Package on drums and vocals, former TIME and Bloomberg correspondent Tim Burger plays bass, with Josh Meyer, Lecturer/co-director of Northwestern University's Medill National Security Journalism Initiative, on lead guitar and vocals. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Bryan Greene and Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative Christina Sevilla also sing and play rhythm guitar and keyboards, respectively. Suspiciously, none of the members had ever played in a rock band prior to their 2008 debut.

For more information about the dinner and how you can attend, contact Kerry Buker at Kerry@natioanlpress.org.

Thank You to Our Recent New Table Buyers

2010-01-22T16:06:58-05:00

The National Press Foundation would like to thank the organizations that purchased a tables recently for the 27^th Annual Awards Dinner:

1105 Government Information Group

Associated Press

AT&T, Inc.

Brunswick Group LLP

Chubb Corporation

Constellation Energy

Fleishman-Hillard, Inc.

General Motors Corporation

Heritage Foundation

Investment Company Institute

Johnson & Johnson

Lockheed Martin Corporation

Northwestern Mutual

Porter Novelli

Potomac Communications Group, Inc.

Powell Tate - Weber Shandwick

SmartBrief, Inc.

Subaru of America, Inc.

Taishoff Family Foundation

Tyco Electronics

The Annual Awards Dinner is the National Press Foundation’s largest source of unrestricted revenue. By helping to defray our costs, our dinner supporters ensure that we are able to reach more journalists each year through our no-cost training programs. To attend the dinner, click on the “make a purchase” or “request an invoice” buttons linked at the top of the column on the left. For more information, contact Kerry Buker at Kerry@nationalpress.org.

Colbert I. King Receives NPF’s Chairman’s Citation

2010-01-21T10:00:13-05:00

Colbert I. King, a columnist for The Washington Post, will receive the 2010 Chairman’s Citation “for distinguished commentary that provides keen insights into the uses and abuses of power.”

The award is made at the sole discretion of the chairman of the National Press Foundation. Susan Swain, the current NPF chairman and the co-president of C-SPAN, said, “It will be my final duty as chair of the foundation to present the award to Mr. King. I cannot think of a better way to hand over the gavel than to recognize his important contributions to our city and to the journalism profession.”

Mr. King won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for commentary, among a host of other awards. He is a regular panelist on the weekly syndicated political show, “Inside Washington.” The award carries a $1,000 honorarium.

The award will be presented at NPF’s 27^th annual awards dinner, held on February 16, 2010. Other award winners include 60 MINUTES (the Taishoff Broadcaster of the Year); Paul Anger, editor of the Detroit Free Press (Ben Bradlee Editor of the Year), Brianna Keilar of CNN and Julie Hirschfeld Davis of the Associated Press (Dirksen Award for Distinguished Coverage of Congress) and Mike Keefe of the Denver Post (Berryman Cartoonist of the Year), among others.

For information about the dinner contact Kerry@nationalpress.org.

We Have a Meal!

2010-01-08T16:21:41-05:00

Today we went up to the Hilton Washington to do our food tasting for the meal to be served at the 27^th Annual Awards Dinner. There were a lot of good choices, and we’re stuffed, but we think that the meal that we picked is a winner. At the dinner we will have:

First Course

Fusilli Aglio, Olio, Pomadora e Peperoncino

Fusilli Pasta with Olive Oil, Garlic, Basil, Tomato and Chillis

Second Course

Pan Seared Halibut

Apricot and Chipotle Pepper Relish,

Roasted Rutabaga and Parsnip White Bean Ragout

Third Course

Chocolate Molten, Cherry Ice Cream

Winter Spiced Apple Glace with Candied Pistachio

Is your mouth watering? There is still time to buy tables and tickets to the dinner. Take a look at our sponsorship options page or email Kerry Buker at Kerry@nationalpress.org for more information.