National Press Club recognizes excellence in journalism

Our reputation as “the world’s leading professional organization for journalists” is epitomized by the achievements of our members and the outreach we do to encourage excellence in our profession through the annual NPC Journalism Awards.

Congratulations to NPC members Alison Fitzgerald, Angela Greiling Keane and Molly McCluskey for their professional successes that reinforce that reputation (and then please read on to get an update on this year’s NPC Journalism Awards competition).

Alison, an NPC member since 2002 and a newly elected member of the NPC Board of Governors, was part of a four-member team from The Center for Public Integrity that won the George Polk Award for Business Reporting for a three-part series, “After the Meltdown.” The series reported that regulators and prosecutors had failed to hold major Wall Street figures accountable for decisions that contributed to the financial crisis in 2008. Alison was chair of the Speakers Committee the past two years before being elected to the Board of Governors.

Angela, the 2013 president of the NPC, has been named to the White House breaking news team of Bloomberg News, her latest career advancement since joining Bloomberg seven years ago. Her previous assignments have including covering transportation and the Postal Service. She has been an NPC member since January 1999 and previously was a student member for two years. She has served as chair of the Speakers Committee, membership secretary and vice president.

Molly, chair of the International Correspondents’ Committee and a new member of the Board of Governors, has been selected for a reporting fellowship to the Congo, Rwanda and Uganda by the International Women’s Media Foundation. Molly is a full-time freelance journalist whose work has appeared in Al Jazeera English, the Washington Post, and National Geographic, among others, and is a contributing writer to Washington Diplomat and AOL Daily Finance. She has been an NPC member since 2010.

And my thanks to Will Lester for his efforts to extend the reach of the NPC Journalism Awards competition, which will allow entries to be made online for the first time. Lester is chairing the Awards Committee for the fourth consecutive year, including in 2012, when he received the Berny Krug Award as the outstanding Club volunteer.

Because the contest is making a transition this year to allowing entries online, the Press Club could use the help of its leading members to encourage members and non-members to enter their best work from 2013. The deadline to get entries in is April 1, 2014.

Please share the information in whatever method you can - from social media like Twitter and Facebook to contacting colleagues who might have good work to enter. The awards summary and entry forms can be found here - please share the link.

The contest is open to Press Club members, who can enter for free, and non-members, who are charged $50.

The Wire story on the contest going online is available here.

The awards will be celebrated at a dinner this summer at the Press Club. Will says he will appreciate any help getting the word out in this important transitional year. He will have Wire stories on the different awards categories through the end of March.

Congratulations again to Alison, Angela and Molly. and thank you, Will.