THE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF THE OVERSEAS PRESS CLUB OF AMERICA, NEW YORK, NY • September 2012 A Career Trajectory Plots Journalism’s Path ing an interactive, EVENT PREVIEW: OCTOBER 15 multimedia form by Sonya K. Fry of storytelling that The story of Steve Shepard’s ca- can invite commu- reer is the story of the news industry. nity participation. Five decades ago he joined Busi- ... The real problem nessWeek as a reporter and then rose is not journalism, to the top editorial post as editor-in- the defining issue chief for more than 20 years. After is financial: the tra- his departure, he saw the magazine ditional business collapse, another victim of the digi- model that sus- tal age. He rode journalism’s ups and tained journalism downs and now has written a mem- based on a lucra- oir titled Deadlines and Disruptions: tive stream of ad- Steve Shepard My Turbulent Path From Print to vertising and circu- Digital, a story of upheaval, transi- lation revenue is eroding and it is not graduate and he now has returned to tion, and the future of news. at all clear what will take its place.” his roots as dean of the new journal- Journalism has gone through a In 2003 Alexis Gelber, President ism school at CUNY. Shepard has radical change in delivery systems, of the OPC, gave Shepard the Presi- been an OPC member since 1989. advertising dollars and social media. dent’s Award at the annual dinner. Publisher’s Weekly has picked the As Founding Dean of the CUNY The certificate read: “In recognition book as one of its Top Ten Business Graduate School of Journalism, of his distinguished career in jour- Books for the fall. Shepard has had to think about all nalism and his exceptional steward- The OPC Book Night with Steve these changes in order to prepare stu- ship of BusinessWeek…long before Shepard will take place on Monday, dents for a journalism education in globalization became a buzzword, he October 15 at Club Quarters, 40 the digital age. Shepard said, “I have understood the importance of inter- West 45 Street. Reception begins at come to believe that digital technol- national business coverage.” 6 p.m. followed by Shepard’s talk at ogy will enrich journalism, creat- Shepard, a native New Yorker, or 6:30 p.m. Books will be available as he likes to say “a working-class for purchase and signing. RSVP by kid from the Bronx,” studied at City calling the OPC at 212-626-9220 or Inside. University of New York as an under- e-mail [email protected]. Annual Meeting Recap....................2 President’s Letter.............................3 Ford Increases OPC Grant Funds New Members.................................3 by Susan Kille to discuss freedom of the press and At the OPC annual meeting on safety issues. The grant will enable Violence in Syria..............................4 August 22, Executive Director So- the OPC to make a bigger impact People........................................5-10 nya Fry announced that the Ford on a broader audience about the Foundation has given the OPC a journalism challenges of the day, People Remembered...............10-11 two-year grant of $150,000, with Fry said. The remaining $50,000 $100,000 to be used to help OPC is slated for Global Parachute, the Freedom of the Press Update.........11 expand its horizons by working with OPC website that connects journal- New Books....................................12 press clubs and media organizations (Continued on Page 11) Annual Meeting Bids Farewell to Two Committee Chairs Larry Martz delivered his final address as OPC Free- EVENT RECAP: AUGUST 22 dom of the Press Committee chairman. After 19 years by Aimee Vitrak of service to the Club, he has decided to step down. His The annual member meeting convened on the sec- mission for the past year was to increase the number of ond floor at Club Quarters on August 22 where members features written for the OPC website and Bulletin and learned of the election results and other Club news. improve the Twitter and Facebook presence; he accom- New OPC member Gregory Morris counted the 62 plished all of these items with the help of intern, Marissa ballots. Morris is the son of Dan Morris, a long-time Miller. The Committee wrote 54 letters of protest in the OPC member. The elected Club officers are Michael Ser- past year to governments around the world about the rill, president; Tim Ferguson, first vice president; Abigail abuses of the press. See his final report on page 11. Pesta, second vice president; Toni Reinhold, third vice Longtime Admissions Committee Chairman George president; Dinda Elliott, treasurer; and Jonathan Dahl, secretary. See the updated masthead below for all board Bookman stepped down from his post. Fellow commit- members. New member Gary Regenstreif from Reuters tee member Linda Goetz Holmes will now lead the com- asked if a contested election would be invigorating for mittee. See page 8 for more details. the Club and voter turnout. There was discussion about OPC Foundation Executive Director, Jane Reilly and the possibilities of future elections to be more of a con- OPC Foundation President William J. Holstein delivered test but no decision reached at the meeting. an update on the Foundation. This year, it will distribute The Club’s accountant, Richard Sherman, was not 14 awards and eight internships at its annual luncheon, there to deliver his address but OPC Executive Direc- which is slated for February 2013. tor Sonya K. Fry filled those present in on the financial This past year, the OPC launched an online-only health of the Club, which has improved. At the end of awards application on opcofamerica.org and took in 520 July 2011, the net worth figure — meaning the assets entries. The application will be further honed along with minus the liabilities of the Club — was $126,730. At the development estimates for an online membership appli- end of July 2012, that figure rose to $169,963. Sherman, cation, online voting, an improved membership database as always, urged members to calibrate this progress and and a possible change of hosting provider that special- not let up on continued efforts to raise funds to remain izes in Drupal-based websites. The OPC’s sister website, a robust organization. Income from the dinner rose by opcglobalparachute.org, launched officially in April and almost $17,000 and Dateline magazine, which has in re- now looks to build membership and increase the content cent years barely scraped by made more than $10,500. in the coming year to include up to 40 countries. The fo- Fry announced that the Ford Foundation has given the cus now for the Global Parachute team is increasing the OPC a grant of $150,000. See page 8 for details of how site’s visibility to attract journalists to join and partcipate the funds might be spent over the next two years. in the site. OVERSEAS PRESS CLUB OF AMERICA • BOARD OF GOVERNORS PRESIDENT SECRETARY Deidre Depke Santiago Lyon ASSOCIATE BOARD PAST PRESIDENTS Michael Serrill Jonathan Dahl Executive Editor Director of MEMBERS EX-OFFICIO Assistant Managing Former Editor-in-Chief The Daily Beast Photography Brian Byrd David A. Andelman Editor Smart Money Associated Press Program Officer John Corporon Bloomberg Markets Adam B. Ellick NYS Health Allan Dodds Frank ACTIVE BOARD Video and Print Marcus Mabry Foundation Alexis Gelber FIRST VICE PRESIDENT Jacqueline Albert- Journalist Editor at Large William J. Holstein Tim Ferguson Simon The New York Times International Herald Emma Daly Marshall Loeb Editor U.S. Bureau Chief Tribune Communications Larry Martz Forbes Asia Politique Internationale Arlene Getz Director Roy Rowan Editor-in-Charge, Media John Martin Human Rights Watch Leonard Saffir SECOND VICE PRESIDENT Amar C. Bakshi Thomson Reuters Writer/Editor Larry Smith Abigail Pesta JD/MBA student Sarah Lubman Richard B. Stolley Editorial Director Yale University Azmat Khan Romesh Ratnesar Partner Women in the World Digital Producer Deputy Editor Brunswick Group EXECUTIVE Rebecca PBS - Frontline Bloomberg Minky Worden DIRECTOR THIRD VICE PRESIDENT Blumenstein Businessweek Director of Global Sonya K. Fry Toni Reinhold Page One Editor Evelyn Leopold Tom Squitieri Initiatives Editor in Charge, The Wall Street Journal Independent Journalist Freelance Journalist Human Rights Watch EDITOR New York Desk United Nations Aimee Vitrak Reuters Paul Brandus Seymour Topping Abi Wright West Wing Report Daphna Linzer Emeritus Director OPC TREASURER Senior Reporter Professor of Alfred I. duPont – ISSN-0738-7202 Dorinda Elliott Howard Chua-Eoan Pro Publica International Columbia University Copyright © 2002 Global Affairs Editor News Director Journalism Awards Over seas Press Club of Conde Nast Traveler Time Columbia University America 40 West 45 Street, New York, NY 10036 USA • Phone: (212) 626-9220 • Fax: (212) 626-9210 • Website: opcofamerica.org OPC Bulletin • September 2012 • Page 2 OPC President Welcomes New Board Members PRESIDENT’S LETTER I was honored on August 22 to accept the gavel that marks the beginning of my term as the new president of the Overseas Press Club of America. It is a position held in the past by people I greatly admire, including giants of journalism like Dick Stolley, Roy Rowan and Marshall Loeb. I have been involved with the club for almost 20 years, initially lured by past president Allan Dodds Frank, a Columbia Journalism classmate whose fa- ther was also a long-time member of the OPC. I have David Andelman passes the historic OPC gavel to watched the Club’s fortunes ebb and flow. We barely Michael Serrill. Behind them are the election results. scraped through the global financial crisis of 2008 and 2009, but we did get through thanks to the stalwart ef- officers, Vice Presidents Tim Ferguson, Abigail Pesta forts of Executive Director Sonya Fry, Allan and past and Toni Reinhold, Treasurer Dorinda Elliott and Sec- presidents Bill Holstein and David Andelman.