NPC Update-1 Podcast National Press Club

On May 1, 1960, American pilot Francis Gary Powers was shot down in his U-2 Spy plane over Sverdlovsk in the former Soviet Union. After being captured, sentenced and imprisoned, Powers was later exchanged for Soviet Spy Colonel Rudolph Abel. In this edition of Update-1, Broadcast Podcast Team member Lincoln Smith talks with Gary Powers Jr. about his father's story, his dad's destiny as an American hero of the Cold War era, and the ensuing media coverage of this international incident.

Campaign trains were a major part of political campaigns years ago. Covering whistle-stopping candidates was considered one of the hardest jobs of journalism. In this edition of Update-1, NPC member Edward Segal talks to Broadcast Podcast team member Irv Chapman about his new book, "Whistle-Stop Politics: Campaign Trains and the Reporters Who Covered Them." Segal discusses what it was like for reporters to live and work on trains for days and weeks at a time, how campaign train tours could be hazardous to one's health, and how one reporter impersonated a whistle-stopping presidential candidate. 

Award winning journalist Jen Judson, the 115th president of the National Press Club, is the land warfare reporter for Defense News. Before that she was a reporter at Politico and Inside Defense. In this edition of Update-1, Jen talks with Broadcast Podcast Committee member Lincoln Smith about her career and advocacy for press freedom around the world. She also discusses why the Israel Hamas war has been so deadly for the journalists covering it.

CNBC Washington correspondent Emily Wilkins looks forward to progress on numerous fronts during her upcoming year as president of the National Press Club. In this edition of Update-1, Wilkins speaks with Broadcast/Podcast Team co-chair Adam Konowe about planned enhancements to the Club’s services and physical infrastructure, as well as its relentless commitment to press freedom, including the release of captured journalists around the world. Other topics included media literacy, the rise of generative AI and its impact on journalism, as well as the importance of vigorous, accurate reportage covering all levels of government, not just the White House and Congress.

Dozens of journalists have been killed covering the Israel Hamas war, resulting in what the International Federation of Journalists says is the deadliest conflict ever for media deaths. The Committee to Protect Journalists says so far 85 journalists and media workers have died while covering the war. Why has this war been so deadly for members of the media, and which group has had the most deaths? In this edition of Update-1, Jessica Jerreat, the press freedom editor at Voice of America, talks to Broadcast Podcast Committee co-chair Mike Hempen about why journalists in Gaza face high risks while covering the conflict. They also discuss what can be done to make their jobs safer in the conflict zone. 

Swiss-born Didier Saugy took the reins as National Press Club executive director in June 2023, following a five-year stint as general manager of the Foreign Correspondents Club of Hong Kong. Since then, the accomplished private club manager, food and beverage director, and executive chef has been considering how to best serve club members and encourage them to spend more time in the facility. In this edition of Update-1, Saugy speaks with Broadcast/Podcast Team Co-chair Adam Konowe about what drew him to Washington, expansion of food service for members, opportunities to make better use of the NPC's space, as well as the importance of media literacy and press freedom during the upcoming election cycle.