NPC Update-1 Podcast

On this edition of Update-1, a former State Department negotiator with the North Koreans offers background on the current efforts to promote nuclear disarmament. Joel Wit directs a project at the Stimson Center called 38 North, a reference to the 38th parallel of latitude that has divided North and South Korea since 1953. Interviewed by Broadcast/Podcast member Irv Chapman, Wit recalls the attempts to reach out to the North Koreans dating back to the Reagan administration, the intensified negotiations brought about by the North's development and testing of nuclear weapons during the Clinton presidency, and the stops and starts related to the change of governments in both countries. Besides listening on Press.org, Update-1 can be heard on iTunes, Stitcher and TuneIn.

In an era when journalists change employers often out of necessity, Barb Zuehlke has broken the mold. On the cusp of retirement later in 2019, Zuehlke, now senior editor at Aircraft Maintenance Technology, is celebrating a 40-year career for the same publishing company. She spoke with NPC Broadcast/Podcast Committee co-vice chair Adam Konowe on the floor of an aviation maintenance convention to discuss her career and the evolution in journalism and public relations during the past four decades.

Austin Tice is the only American journalist currently being held overseas, and the National Press Club is spearheading an effort to bring him home. In this edition of Update 1 NPC Executive Director Bill McCarren and Austin's parents, Marc and Debra Tice, join Broadcast/Podcast Committee co-Vice Chair Mike Hempen to discuss the "Night Out For Austin Tice." The May 2 event will raise reward money for information leading to the safe return of Austin, an award-winning reporter who was taken hostage in August, 2012 while covering the Syrian civil war.

The murder in January of investigative journalist Ahmed Hussein Suale-Divela in Ghana, one of Africa’s most stable and democratic countries, shocked the country and journalists around the world. The National Press Club called for a thorough investigation, and urged Ghanaian officials to ensure that journalists can work without the threat of violence. Journalist and lawyer George Sarpong, executive secretary of Ghana’s National Media Commission, spoke with National Press Club broadcast/podcast team member Viola Gienger about that case and the state of the news media in Ghana, including the influence of China. Sarpong just completed a five-month fellowship at the National Endowment for Democracy in Washington DC, where he researched Africa’s transition from analog to digital broadcasting and the implications for freedom of expression and access to information.

The National Press Club has redoubled its efforts to highlight injustices resulting from multiple verbal, legal and even physical attacks on the media. John Donnelly, chair of the club’s Freedom of the Press team, spoke with Broadcast/Podcast co-vice chair Adam Konowe about a range of domestic and international initiatives intended to reinforce the vital role journalism plays in ensuring transparency in a free society. Examples include fundraising for missing American journalist Austin Tice, support for arrested Philippine journalist Maria Ressa, as well as calls for more newsmaker access at the Pentagon and elsewhere in government.

U.S. foreign policy can be complex and difficult to understand. In this episode of Update-1, George Washington University political science professor Dr. Henry Nau discusses his book, "Perspectives on International Relations," with NPC Broadcast/Podcast team member Lincoln Smith. Dr. Nau provides an understandable synthesis of the world of foreign policy, and talks about the approaches used by Presidents Clinton, Bush, Obama and Trump. He also offers predictions about American foreign policy in the future.

The task of helping people of all ages glean the facts and screen out the exaggeration, bias, and misinformation from their sources of news requires a variety of targeted approaches. Dr. Belinha De Abreu is a member of the leadership council of the American Association for Media Literacy Education. She assisted the American Library Association in developing programs for adults in public libraries. On this edition of Update-1, she tells Broadcast/Podcast team member Irv Chapman that Facebook is regarded by the coming generation as their parents' social medium, while they switch to other favorites. She believes all these internet sources have to come to grips with the transition from their founding precept that they are not news media.

After three decades as a political reporter, editor and columnist, National Press Club member David Hawkings has become an entrepreneur. He's now the editor-in-chief of The Firewall, an editorially independent digital news publication dedicated to covering political reform at the national, state and local levels. In this episode of Update-1, Hawkings talks with Broadcast/Podcast team member Mike Hempen about the journalistic and business sides of this new initiative, how it came about and what it will take to be successful.

In the latest episode of Update-1, National Press Club members Michael Yessis and Molly McCluskey discuss everything newsletters - which ones they read, what they’ve learned by starting their own, and advice for future newsletter creators. Michael is the founder and editor of This Week in Podcasts (@WeekinPodcasts), which offers a weekly roundup in all of the best and latest podcast episodes you might have missed, and Molly is the creator of Diplomatica (DiplomaticaDC), which is a multimedia exploration into the hidden histories of diplomatic properties in Washington, D.C. and around the world.

Maria Ressa, one of the journalists Time magazine honored as it's "Person of the Year" in 2018, also is a co-founder and editor of Rappler, a news website that was ahead of the curve in her native Philippines by offering hard news and video via internet and mobile. Before being recognized by Time, she was interviewed for Update-1 by Irv Chapman, a longtime member of the National Press Club, during her visit to Washington to accept the International Center for Journalists award for her fearless coverage of the blood-stained war on drugs conducted by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who is now trying to put her website out of business. Maria was previously CNN's bureau chief in Manila and Jakarta and the head of news for a major Philippine network. She worries about the loss of editorial control of information by serious news organizations, and the retrogression to authoritarianism in countries whose democratic evolution she has covered.

Fake videos are a new form of digital media manipulation, and the former president and chief executive of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is warning about their dangers. In this edition of Update-1, Thomas Kent talks to Broadcast/Podcast team member Tom Young about technology being used to create video of events that never happened, or video of people making statements they never made. Kent describes video as the "ultimate verifier" for news consumers, but now he says they may no longer be able to believe what they see.

Journalists are especially vulnerable to hackers trying to access sensitive, confidential data. With growing threats against press freedom around the world, reporters are frequent targets for both public and private sector snooping. It is more important than ever to protect data, drafts, and sources from prying eyes. In this Update-1 podcast, Dr. Andy Yen, CEO and co-founder of ProtonMail, speaks with NPC Broadcast/Podcast team member Shannon Fisher about cybersecurity for journalists. From Virtual Private Networks (VPN) to self-destructing email, there are many options available to journalists who seek to protect their sources, communication, and work. These services and programs, many of which are free to use, make it virtually impossible for outsiders to hack into device storage and email accounts. They provide peace of mind to both journalists and their sources that sensitive discussions will remain private.

For nearly 70 years, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has provided a system of collective defense for North American and European Nations. Known as NATO, the alliance has grown from 12 nations when it came into existence in 1949 to 29, but it has maintained a system of collective defense in which independent member nations subscribe to mutual defense. NPC Broadcast/Podcast Committee member Lincoln Smith talks with Jeff Rathke, the president of the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies at Johns Hopkins University in Washington, D.C., about the history and meaning of the alliance.

What challenges do journalists face when reporting from a secretive regime like North Korea? National Public Radio's Mary Louise Kelly recently visited North Korea to cover the 70th anniversary of the country's founding. She referred to her official guide as a "one-man journalism prevention service." Broadcast/Podcast Committee member Tom Young spoke with her about practicing journalism in a country that tries to place strict controls on all information going in and out.

The International Center for Journalists was founded in 1984 by three veteran editors who sought to help jump start an independent press in emerging nations, including those emerging from home-grown dictatorship. Joyce Barnathan, the organization’s president for the last 12 years. is a former Moscow correspondent for Newsweek, and Hong-Kong-based Asia editor for Business Week. Broadcast/Podcast Committee member Irv Chapman interviews her on ICFJ's work around the world, from South Asia to South America. They discuss how the organization has changed its focus since the digital age dawned, how digital resources enable international investigative reporting, and the heroic journalists that ICFJ recognizes for doing their work under dangerous conditions.