NPC Update-1 Podcast

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 Believer; Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements," and the Kuklinski Museum Discussion Series, “Poland, the U.S. and NATO: Confronting the Russian Threat." Dr. Lenczowski also comments on the state of press freedom in China.

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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 that takes years to develop. CNN’s John King, host of Inside Politics, has spent his career covering elections from nearly every angle. King talks to NPC Broadcast/Podcast team member Shannon Fisher about capturing the of-the-moment essence of elections, finding the pulse of America, and the manner in which media coverage of general elections differs from that of crowded primaries.

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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 New Zealand, and Heather Hutchings, chair of the Porirua Chamber of Commerce near the capital city of Wellington. Both women address upcoming IWD events, reelection prospects for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, last year’s deadly mosque shooting and volcano eruption, and other developments.

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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 perspectives different news organizations provided and how the reporting of the Trump impeachment differed from previous impeachment coverage.

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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.

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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. Barrett also discusses what social media companies have done and still can do to limit the impact of disinformation, and offers some advice to social media users who encounter what they consider to be questionable information.

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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 current conflict, such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. They also discuss the differences between the media coverage of Vietnam and that of current wars and whether the United States learned anything from the Vietnam War.

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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 organization, the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. Indira Lakshmanan reported for the Boston Globe from Bosnia, China, Afghanistan and Latin America and still writes a foreign affairs column for the Globe. For eight years she was diplomatic correspondent for Bloomberg News. She describes the work of the Center, including its role in boosting the public trust in serious news media, and her own experiences, both at home and abroad.

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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 fun conversation with Petri about her sense of humor, her championship last year in the NPC Press vs. Politicians Spelling Bee and her pending return this year, on Sept. 17, to defend her title.

Other previous winners have included U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) in 2013 and U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) in 2015. Art Swift of Gallup won in 2016, and Todd Gillman of the Dallas Morning News orthographed his way to the championship in 2017

Bee There or Bee Square! For more information about the event and to buy tickets, see the NPC website or the Eventbrite page.

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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 civil war. Both photographers discuss how the photos were taken and the stories behind them.

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