THE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF THE OVERSEAS PRESS CLUB OF AMERICA, NEW YORK, NY • APRIL 2012 OPC Gears Up for a Banner Awards Dinner EVENT PREVIEW: APRIIL 25 by Sonya K. Fry The champagne is on ice, microphones are “testing, testing,” and congratulations are floating in the air. It must be time for the OPC Annual Awards Dinner. This year’s dinner will be held at the Mandarin Oriental at Columbus Circle on Wednesday, April 25. The Reception at 6 p.m. is sponsored by the computer company Lenovo. The “Meet the Winners” Reception after dinner is sponsored by Thomson Ted Turner, above, will receive the OPC Reuters. With cocktails at both ends President’s Award. Lester Holt, top right, and of the evening, it promises to be a Alison Smale, right, will present the awards. great dinner. The program will begin with AP Panel to Discuss War-Time Censorship the Candlelighting Ceremony in honor of journalists killed in the EVENT PREVIEW: MAY 8 line of duty in the past year, like On May 7, 1945, Associated organizations angrily protesting, and reporter Maria Colvin and French Press reporter Ed Kennedy became the AP firing him. photographer Remi Ochlik who the most famous — or infamous — In Ed Kennedy’s War: V-E Day, were killed in Syria in February American correspondent of World Censorship, and the Associated and countless others who covered War II. On that day in Press, Kennedy re- the Arab uprisings, the drug wars in France, General Alfred counts his career as a Mexico and corruption in Russia and Jodl signed the official newspaperman from his lost their lives in pursuit of a story. documents as Germans early days as a stringer Joao Silva, photojournalist for The surrendered to the in Paris to the aftermath of his dismissal from the New York Times who lost both legs Allies. Army officials (Continued on Page 2) allowed a select number AP. During his time as a of reporters including foreign correspondent, Kennedy to witness he covered the Spanish Inside. this historic moment, Civil War, the rise of OPC President letter........................3 but then instructed Mussolini in Italy, unrest in Greece and ethnic “Hitlerland” Book Night Recap..........4 the journalists that the story was under feuding in the Balkans. People..........................................5-9 military embargo. In a During World War II, he courageous but costly reported from Greece, Tribute to Marie Colvin..................10 move, Kennedy defied the military Italy, North Africa, and the Middle East before heading back Ecuador and Press Freedom.........11 embargo and broke the news of the Allied victory, generating to France to cover its liberation and New Books....................................12 instant controversy with rival news (Continued on Page 3) OPC Awards: Continued From Page 1 its inauguration he famously said, “We won’t be signing off until the in Afghanistan after stepping on a world ends. We’ll be on, and we will land mine in October 2010, will light cover the end of the world, live, and the ceremonial candle and usher in a that will be our last event…we’ll moment of silence. play ‘Nearer, My God, To Thee’ Lester Holt, Weekend Anchor for NBC News and Alison before we sign off.” His daring Smale, Executive Editor of the venture changed news forever. His Joao Silva will light the candle to philanthropy is legendary with the International Herald Tribune will honor those journalists killed in the share duties presenting the 27 line of duty in the past year. $1 billion gift to support U.N. causes awards in categories ranging from through the U.N. Foundation. In launch an invasion of Iraq, reporting photography to online commentary. 1991, Turner became the first media from the front lines in Lebanon Alison Smale was deputy foreign figure to be named Time magazine’s on the war between Israel and editor at The New York Times before Man of the Year. Hezbollah, the aftermath of the she went to the IHT. Previously Dinner Co-Chair William J. as Vienna bureau chief for The devastating earthquake in Haiti, and Holstein, President of the OPC Associated Press, she covered the last year he covered the political Foundation, has been leading the fall of Communism across Eastern and civil unrest in Cairo and the charge on selling corporate tables. Europe, the rise of Milosevic and earthquake and nuclear crisis in Sir Harry Evans, formerly editor of Serbian nationalism and the 1990’s Japan. Holt was the primary anchor The Sunday Times of London from Balkan wars. She was posted in for MSNBC’s coverage of world 1967 to 1981 and now editor-at-large Moscow from 1983 to 1987 where events and before that he was at for Thomson Reuters is co-chair of she chronicled the transition from WBBM-TV in Chicago for 14 years the dinner committee. Andropov to Gorbachev. Smale was where he was anchor for the evening OPC member dinner tickets in New York on September 11th and news. He is currently the Weekend remain $250 for a member and $250 helped to organize much of the prize- Anchor for “NBC Nightly News” for one member guest. Non-member winning New York Times coverage of and Co-anchor of the weekend tickets are $600. Table pricing that event and the subsequent wars edition of the “Today” show. is $15,000, $12,000, $9,000 and in Afghanistan and Iraq. She is fluent OPC President David A. $6,000 for tables of 10. Reservations in French, German and Russian. Andelman has selected Ted Turner are essential for this annual black-tie Lester Holt joined NBC News as the recipient of this year’s event. Please join us in celebrating in 2000. His assignments include President’s Award. Turner founded the best in international reporting. reporting from the Kuwait/Iraqi the Cable News Network in 1980 as OPC members have been sent a border as U.S. forces prepared to the first 24-hour news channel. At printed invitation in the mail. OVERSEAS PRESS CLUB OF AMERICA • BOARD OF GOVERNORS PRESIDENT SECRETARY Tim Ferguson Toni Reinhold ASSOCIATE BOARD PAST PRESIDENTS David A. Andelman Jane Ciabattari Editor Editor in Charge, MEMBERS EX-OFFICIO Editor Author/Journalist Forbes Asia New York Desk Bill Collins John Corporon World Policy Journal Reuters Director, Public & Allan Dodds Frank ACTIVE BOARD Chrystia Freeland Business Affairs Alexis Gelber FIRST VICE PRESIDENT Ron Allen Global Editor-at-Large Tom Squitieri Ford Motor Company William J. Holstein Marcus Mabry Correspondent Thomson Reuters Freelance Journalist Marshall Loeb Editor at Large NBC News Emma Daly Larry Martz International Herald Tribune Evelyn Leopold Gillian Tett Communications Roy Rowan Rebecca Independent Journalist U.S. Managing Editor Director Leonard Saffir SECOND VICE PRESIDENT Blumenstein United Nations Financial Times Human Rights Watch Larry Smith Michael Serrill Page One Editor Richard B. Stolley Assistant Managing Editor The Wall Street Journal Santiago Lyon Seymour Topping Sarah Lubman Bloomberg Markets Director of Emeritus Partner EXECUTIVE Paul Brandus Photography Professor of Brunswick Group DIRECTOR THIRD VICE PRESIDENT West Wing Report Associated Pess International Sonya K. Fry Arlene Getz Journalism Abi Wright Editor-in-Charge, Media Jonathan Dahl John Martin Columbia University Director EDITOR Thomson Reuters Editor-in-Chief Writer/Editor Alfred I. duPont- Aimee Vitrak Smart Money Joel Whitney Columbia University TREASURER Abigail Pesta Editor Awards OPC Jacqueline Albert- Adam B. Ellick Editorial Director Guernica ISSN-0738-7202 Simon Video and Print Journalist Women in the World Copyright © 2002 U. S. Bureau Chief The New York Times Over seas Press Club of Politique Internationale America 40 West 45 Street, New York, NY 10036 USA • Phone: (212) 626-9220 • Fax: (212) 626-9210 • Website: opcofamerica.org OPC Bulletin • April 2012 • Page 2 Long and Winding Road to Success in News Business American boxing team, since news, all the time?” Lots of folks LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT they’re all military folks reporting it seems. Turner took that 24-hour On July 4, 1986, the U.S. to the commander-in-chief. I have news model global with words and Ambassador to the Soviet Union, no boxers, so how would you like to pictures. as he did every year, gathered box for America,” he repeated. “You April will also mark the official the American community, do that for me and I’ll let your CBS debut of Global Parachute — what correspondents, residents, and those camera inside.” Now, I’d been in I believe will become a resource assorted Russian friends who dared wars, revolutions, witness to a raft for all journalists. Our launch will risk a trip to the gardens of Spaso of carnage but never with my own feature 15 countries with overviews, House to celebrate Independence blood involved. And it wasn’t gonna fact sheets, contacts and, most Day. But this was an especially happen then, either. precious of all, wikis written by on- unusual year. Ted Turner was Ten days later, I was at the the-ground reporters. Launch funds in town and he was all set to Bastille Day celebrations at the came from the Ford Foundation; inaugurate the Goodwill Games — French Embassy in Moscow. we’re seeking additional funding an international athletic competition President François Mitterrand to add countries and broaden he’d ginned up, gathering 3,000 showed up, so had Turner who opcglobalparachute.org’s network athletes from 79 countries, many spotted me and gestured to of journalists. of whom had boycotted the 1980 Mitterrand, “Can you introduce Finally, a shout out to our two Moscow Olympics and the 1984 me?” I did the honors and they hit it interns: Rixey Browning, who’s Los Angeles Olympic Games in off, but that introduction still didn’t helped administer awards, pitched tit-for-tat actions provoked by the get a camera into the stadium.