St. Louis Press Club is happy to announce that Enterprise Journalism is back.
Thanks to the success of Beauty Buzz and other fundraising efforts, the Press Club has $5,500 in grant funds available to help finance journalism that’s relevant and impactful to the St. Louis area.
The St. Louis Press Club awards Enterprise Journalism grants to print, radio, television, and online journalists (including freelancers) to research and report on enterprise stories of interest to the St. Louis metropolitan region, with a particular focus on the issues and communities in our civic life that would not otherwise be reported. Awards of up to $2,500 will be given to journalists to cover travel and reporting expenses relating to a specific project of their choice for publication, broadcast, or online posting.
Suzanne Corbett Honored by Travel Journalists Association
Suzanne Corbett received the two Mark Twain Awards from the Midwest Travel Journalists Association, Inc. (MTJA) on October 20, during the organization’s 2021 Mark Twain Travel Journalist Awards ceremony held in Sanibel, Florida. Placing first place in the short copy for Catch the Louisiana Blues, written for AAA Southern Traveler, and third place in culinary for Patriotic Plates written for Gazelle Magazine.
The annual Mark Twain Travel Journalist Awards recognizes the best work done by MTJA members in 13 separate categories covering both traditional and new media. This year’s contest celebrates the work in the broad category of travel reporting published or broadcast from January 1, 2020-June 30, 2021. Additionally, each year, one of the professionals is honored as the “best of the best” and is named the “Mark Twain Travel Journalist of the Year.” All winners receive cash awards, certificates and well-deserved recognition for their work.
Claudia Burris featured in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Made in St. Louis: Retired teacher creates fun, colorful ...
The pottery Claudia Ruth Burris makes doesn't fit neatly into categories or styles. She riffs on forms, colors, glazes, themes and inspirations as surely as a bluegrass fiddler plays a soaring solo. Her curiosity in art and in life leads her to...
St. Louis Press Club is announcing the inaugural writing contest for local writers. The awards will recognize the best writing for the past year among high schools, colleges and universities, and professionals.
“At its heart, the St. Louis Press Club is a membership association of writers,” said Joan Lee
Berkman, president of the St. Louis Press Club. "Our members represent all forms of media
found in the St. Louis region, and we all know that the heart of all media - print, broadcast, digital
- is writing. With these awards, we want to celebrate the craft of writing and to honor those
writers whose work represents the best in the profession in St. Louis.”
The awards will be open to writers in high school, colleges and universities and to professionals
who make their living by writing. Entries are eligible in five categories:
● News story -- -- Judges will consider planning and general organization of story, initiative in obtaining story, news writing, readability and impact.
● In-Depth Reporting -- The articles should demonstrate the ability of entrant(s) to provide treatment of an issue that has had an impact on publication’s coverage area.
● Feature Story -- Judges will review interest and unusual aspects of the feature material itself and/or the handling of it, writing style, readability and comprehensiveness of coverage.
● Commentary -- Judges will review submissions of up to THREE columns, essays, analyses, think pieces or personal experience stories. The format can include editorials, columns, videos and cartoons.
● A fifth category will cover original writing based on a theme. This year, we want to know what was the biggest impact on a writer’s life from the pandemic.
“We’re excited to have this opportunity to recognize the writers in St. Louis whose words help
influence and inspire their readers to achieve greater things and to better understand the world
in which they live,” Berkman said. “We hope that through these awards, we can help the winning
writers reach a greater audience who can enjoy and benefit from their craft.”
Judges for this first annual St. Louis Press Club Writing Contest will include some of the best
and the brightest journalists from the St. Louis market.
Finalists will be announced by December 1, 2021. Winners of each category will receive a prize of a virtual “meet and greet” with a well-known pro.
St. Louis Press Club's online initiative, featuring conversations with St. Louis-area professional communicators, continues.
Looking Back. Imagining the Future.
Communications colleagues speak with St. Louis Press Club board member, Jessica Z. Brown Billhymer,
on work and life during a pandemic, protests, economic stress and a community facing frank and varied discussions about racism.
In early 2020, it became clear to the St. Louis Press Club (STLPC) pivoting to a new way of connecting with community was a must, with the usual and varied local on-the-ground programming having to take on a new fa... READ MORE.
There are four takeaways from these conversations:
1. Media communicators are adept at pivoting to new solutions in the face of disruption.
2. Technology's role as a star and integral player, in our society and in the communications business, is dynamic and key to connecting all stakeholders, and is invaluable in facilitating collaborative team energy to meet deadlines and provide uninterrupted public service.
3. Media institutions and individuals seriously take safety of others as a primary concern during a pandemic and civil unrest.
4. Communicators reveal honest, inspirational feelings of wins, losses and amazement regarding their and colleagues' communications journey. And, we learn from these professionals what it takes to do their jobs in these times, and what it means to carry on, no matter what.
St. Louis Press Club's Our IN THE NOW with Lori Becker, Chief Operating Officer, Starkloff Disability Institute, and Dallas Adams, Communications Manager, August 18, 2020; running time: 43:51.
Becker and Adams detail what the Institute had to do to pivot to a virtual space to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act in the face of the pandemic. This meant continuing communications for both those with disabilities and the non disabled who partner with Starkloff in providing accommodations for the disabled. "We had to re-imagine what that looks like and step up....., " Adams said. Becker added: "For all of our programming ..we pivoted and turned into all virtual programming when the pandemic hit.
Beauty Buzz 2021 was a smashing success!
Co-Chairs Miran Halen and Phyllis Langsdorf and Advisory Chair Alice Handelman knocked it out of the park!!
We raised more than $17,000 to fund student journalism scholarships and enterprise grants for working journalists to spotlight marginalized issues in our region.
From left, Jasmine Huda, emcee; Miran Halen, chair, Dan Kramer, Neiman Marcus general manager; Phyllis Langsdorf, co-chair; and Joan Lee Berkman, Press Club president. Photo by Suzy Gorman.
St. Louis Press Club's immediate past president, William Greenblatt,
will be inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame for Sports Photography on November 14, 2021.
William Greenblatt
WILLIAM GREENBLATT MEDIA: Photographer Born: June 9, 1954; St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame Photographer (2009-Present), St. Louis Cardinals Photographer (2012-Present) (by Mike Knopfel) Capturing the raw emotion in your subjects ...
You're invited to the Urban League and Urban League Guild Salute to Women in Leadership Gala
where St. Louis Press Club's board member, Charlotte Ottley, will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award.
St. Louis Press Club's President's Letter to the Editor:
Letter: Governor's threats endanger freedom of the press
Regarding the editorial "Parson attacks reporter who discovered teachers' personal data on state website" (Oct. 15): Amid all the recent accusations and threats by Gov. Mike Parson to punish the Post-Dispatch for revealing a significant security flaw in the state’s online database, the most disturbing element is the state’s underlying threat to the freedom of the press for the news media doing its job.
Publicly accusing the Post-Dispatch, let alone an individual reporter, of wrongdoing without definitive evidence is at the very least irresponsible. As St. Louis Society of Professional Journalists’ President Elizabeth Donald recently said: “Covering the state’s embarrassment with threats of prosecution is unworthy of a governor sworn to uphold the Constitution.”
These unwarranted accusations have received well-deserved negative nationwide attention directed at Parson. A follow-up story showed security for databases for Missouri's teachers, current and retired, badly needs updating. That should be the focus of the governor and the state's education officials.
Parson should not only publicly apologize for his remarks, he should also applaud the Post-Dispatch for its professionalism in sharing this information and helping protect those who were put at financial security risk.
Freedom of the press and reliable reporting are now, more than ever, critically important. If Missouri is truly the Show-Me State that cares about honest, in-depth reporting, show the Post-Dispatch the respect it deserves for presenting the facts to uphold the integrity of the state’s educational infrastructure and to protect our educators who are essential to our children’s future.
Joan Lee Berkman • St. Louis County
President, St. Louis Press Club and
the St. Louis Press Club Board of Directors
JEFFERSON CITY - Gov. Mike Parson lashed out at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Thursday, two days after the newspaper informed the state of a data risk that left 100,000 Social Security numbers vulnerable to public disclosure.
Press Club Welcomes Gilbert Bailon to Board of Directors
Gilbert Bailon
Gilbert Bailon, editor, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, has been elected to the board of the St. Louis Press Club.
Bailon has held the top editorial position at the 143-year-old metropolitan daily newspaper since 2012. He was hired as editorial page editor in 2007.
Bailon won the Benjamin C. Bradlee 2014 Editor of the Year Award from the National Press Foundation for the Post’s coverage of a police shooting and social unrest in Ferguson that gained national attention. The newspaper won a Pulitzer Prize for photography the next year and was a Pulitzer finalist for editorial writing.
Joan Lee Berkman, president of St. Louis Press Club, said that Bailon’s knowledge of local and national journalism would be a great asset to the Press Club.
“Gilbert's impressive journalistic background and leadership experience will be instrumental to Press Club's growing program of work,” Berkman said. “We are thrilled to welcome him to the board.”
Before coming to St. Louis, Bailon worked at the Dallas Morning News and rose through the ranks from nightside reporter to deputy managing editor to vice president and executive editor.
In 2003, he was named founding president and editor and then publisher of Al Dia, the newspaper’s Spanish-language daily subsidiary. AlDiaTx.com won a national Edward R. Murrow Award.
Bailon has won numerous other awards for his work. A past president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, he was inducted into the NAHJ Hall of Fame. He is president of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan St. Louis foundation board and participates in other local Hispanic civic organizations.
He’s also a past president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors and has served on nominating juries for the Pulitzer Prizes.
A native of Arizona, he was educated in journalism at the University of Arizona and earned a master’s degree in American History from the University of Texas at Arlington.
Early in his career, he worked at the Fort-Worth Star-Telegram, Los Angeles Times, San Diego Union and Kansas City Star.
2021 MEDIA AND JOURNALISM SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED
Fifteen college and one high school student from our region are being awarded scholarships by the St. Louis Press Club and St. Louis Journalism Foundation.
The 2021 scholarships and their winners are:
$4,000 St. Louis Press Club/St. Louis Post-Dispatch David Lipman Journalism Scholarship - Max Baker, University of Missouri – Columbia
$2,500 St. Louis Press Club Ronald W. Wade Journalism Scholarship - Micah Barnes, Webster University
$2,000 St. Louis Press Club Neiman-Marcus Media Scholarship - Meghan Gunn, New York University
$1,500 St. Louis Press Club Sarah Bryan Miller Journalism Scholarship - Greta Cross, Missouri State University
$1,500 St. Louis Press Club Summer Internship Scholarship - Becca Newton, University of Missouri-Columbia
$1,500 St. Louis Press Club Summer Internship Scholarship - Mary Boser, Maryville University
$1,500 St. Louis Press Club Donald Burris Journalism Scholarship - Charlotte Renner, Webster University
$1,500 St. Louis Press Club Karlheinz and Doris Finzel Photojournalism Scholarship - Dasia Chavis, Webster University
$1,000 St. Louis Press Club Joe Bonwich Media Scholarship - Mark Burbridge, St. Louis University
$1,000 St. Louis Press Club Joan Foster Dames Women's Journalism and Media Studies Scholarship - Arielle Adams, Southeast Missouri State University
$1,000 St. Louis Press Club Spring Internship Scholarship - Tirzah Williams, Webster University
$1,500 FleishmanHillard Journalism Foundation Scholarship - Bethany Spitzmiller, Central Missouri State University
$1,000 Missouri Professional Communicators and St. Louis Press Club and Journalism Foundation Scholarship - Regan Mertz, University of Missouri-Columbia
$1,000 United Media Guild Journalism Foundation Scholarship - Ellen Killeen, University of Missouri-Columbia
$1,000 Times Newspapers and Webster University Journalism Foundation Scholarship - Jasmine Willis, Webster University
$1,000 St. Louis Press Club High School Journalism Scholarship - Abby Prywitch, Parkway Central High School to attend Indiana University
(selected by the Missouri Journalism Educators' Association)
Scholarship recipients are chosen based on aptitude, interest in pursuing a communications career, academic standing, and financial need. The awards are made in cooperation with the St. Louis Press Club, St. Louis Post Dispatch, Society of Professional Journalist, Missouri Professional Communicators, United Media Guild, Times Newspapers/Webster University, Fleishman-Hillard, and private donors.
Press Club Welcomes Julie Hail Flory to Board of Directors
Julie Hail Flory
Julie Hail Flory vice chancellor for marketing and communications at Washington University, has been elected to the board of the St. Louis Press Club.
Press Club President Joan Berkman said: "Flory's strategic marketing and communications skills will help energize our efforts to expand the Club's community outreach. We are thrilled to have her leadership and look forward to her many contributions."
Flory became vice chancellor April 1 after serving as Washington University interim vice chancellor for public affairs, providing strategic communications leadership and overseeing creative services, digital strategy, marketing and brand strategy, media relations, social media, strategic initiatives, university news and the publication of Washington magazine. Flory also is a member of the chancellor's executive cabinet.
Since coming to Washington University in 2014, she has led or played a key role in communications for the school's participation in the U.S. Presidential Debate in 2016 and the inauguration of university Chancellor Andrew D. Martin in 2019. She has led communications regarding various critical issues, including the university's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the school's commitment to racial equity.
Flory has more than two decades of experience in higher education public relations and communications. Prior to joining Washington University, she spent 13 years at the University of Notre Dame as assistant director, then associate director for news and information, and then director of public relations. She previously had worked for seven years as a television news reporter and anchor in Colorado, Idaho and Indiana.
Flory earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from San José State University and her master’s degree in American culture studies from Washington University. She also is a graduate of the Strategic Leaders Executive Education Program at the University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business.
Press Club Welcomes Becky Domyan to Board of Directors
Becky Domyan
Becky Domayn is a business marketing graduate from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Becky started her management career working for Enterprise Holdings upon graduation in 2001. She then went to work for Emmis Communications in St. Louis in 2006 and quickly moved up the ranks eventually becoming Director of Sales for the Emmis STL Cluster in 2016. Domyan single-handedly led the STL cluster in record-breaking revenue performance and excellence during her time as Director of Sales.
Currently, Becky works for Entercom Communications as the SVP/Market Manager. She built an incredible culture with a strategic vision, mission, and winning mindset. Domyan has received numerous rewards throughout her career for new business excellence, digital achievement, talent recruitment, retention, and mentorship.
Our IN THE NOW with Major Garrett
Chief Washington Correspondent, CBS News
Speaker: Major Garrett St. Louis Press Club's 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner
When: 7pm, Thursday, May 6th, 2021
Garrett shared his analysis of the issues of our time and his thoughts on journalism and how the industry has changed in his lifetime. His remarks were followed by a Q&A curated by Charlie Brennan, the host of The Charlie Brennan Show with Amy Marxkors on KMOX and the Provocateur of Donnybrook on NinePBS.
In addition, Garrett was presented with the St. Louis Press Club's 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award for excellence in journalism throughout his distinguished career in news broadcasting.
Donations support the Press Club’s ongoing scholarships and enterprise grants efforts — including offsetting costs of programs like this one. Click Here to donate.
Press Club’s Zoom Annual Meeting
6:30 p.m. Monday, December 21
Since we can’t gather in person this year, I hope you will be able to participate by Zoom in our annual business meeting as outlined in our bylaws for the purpose of electing board members for term 2021-2023, as well as hearing the president’s 2020 year-in-review report and the announcement of the Catfish and President’s Above and Beyond awards.
Board of Director slate for 2021-23 term: Ellen Futterman, Richard Gavatin, Kent Martin, Trish Muyco-Tobin, Kedra Tolson, Karyn Williams
St. Louis Press Club's 2020 VIRTUAL Beauty Buzz
Saturday, September 12
Special thanks to our In-Kind donors, Miran Halen and CraigCurrieSTL
To Be Rescheduled:
Press Club's Friday Lunch Forum on “The Fight for Women's Suffrage – Hard
Lessons Learned”
The fight for Women’s Suffrage in the US was long and arduous. Passage of the 19th Amendment on Aug 26, 1920 was an epic achievement, yet the journey was fraught with racism and divisive politics. What allowed the final victory to occur? Why did women’s suffrage groups choose strategies that marginalized black women, telling noted black women leaders to “walk in the back of the parade”? Do we still face these hard choices in our strategies to build coalitions and advance causes in today’s political world?
Two panelists and a moderator will share the history of this great achievement along with perspectives that will help us make better strategic choices in today’s political arena.
Panelists will take questions and then together address the question: “How can we learn to strategize stronger partnerships through these hard lessons?”
Margot McMillen, author of “The Golden Lane: How Missouri Women Gained the Vote and Changed History” will speak on: What worked to pass the Nineteenth Amendment? Lessons learned from successful coalitions in Missouri, including the Golden Lane March in 1916.
Louise Wilkerson, Co-President, League of Women Voters of Metro St. Louis & Past President, St. Louis Metropolitan Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, 2010-2014 What were the hard lessons leading up to and then following in the 100 years since passage? Recounting the history of racism & segregation in the suffrage movement, the rise of black women's groups/ clubs and the many challenges to voters’ rights throughout the decades. How adversaries of equal suffrage find ways to divide us.
Events Co-Sponsored by:
American Association of University Women
St. Louis and League of Women Voters of Metro St. Louis
A discussion concerning, why is there a pay gap and
why is it so slow to change? Learn about Sen. Karla May’s bill (SB682) presently filed in the Missouri Senate.
Read the text at: SB682 text
The panel included:
Sen. Karla May
Lynne Roney and Malaika Horne of the American Association of University Women (AAUW)
Leslie Greenman of The Women’s Foundation of Greater St. Louis
The League of Women Voters of Metro St. Louis is also a co-sponsor of this event. This forum featured a buffet lunch.
KATHERINE REED joined the University of Missouri—Columbia journalism faculty in 2004. She has done work with the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma at Columbia University and the Disaster and Community Crisis Center at MU. She teaches a trauma reporting class for undergraduate and graduate students. She is an editor at ColumbiaMissourian.com where she supervises students covering public safety (crime and the courts) and health care.
When Getting the Story Isn't the Whole Story – Reporting on Trauma
Saturday, February 22
1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Missouri History Museum – AT&T Multipurpose Room (Lower Level) -
5700 Lindell
A free workshop for members of the media, journalism students and others on the impact of violence and trauma, exploring how they report stories and the way they cope with its effects on their own lives.
Speaker: University of Missouri – Columbia Prof. Katherine Reed, who often teaches about journalism and trauma. Among the topics she'll explore
* How do members of the media stay safe when covering conflict?
* What do we know about interviewing those affected by trauma that we didn't know even a few years ago?
* What are some of the best resources media may not know about when it comes to covering violence?
* How can media practice self-care in environments where it's not always stressed as important? What's effective?
* How can media handle anniversary stories without retraumatizing those affected by violence?
* What interesting journalism is being done using the best approaches?
RSVPs appreciated at info@stlpressclub.org, so we have an estimate on how many will attend.
"Pictures Worth 1,000 Words" Thursday, January 16th, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Missouri History Museum, Auditorium, 5700 Lindell Blvd.
Sponsored by: The International Photography Hall of Fame and St. Louis Press Club
Panelists: David Carson: St. Louis Post Dispatch
J.B Forbes: St. Louis Post Dispatch/Pulitzer Winner
Dan Donovan: St. Louis Post Dispatch/Sports
Christian Gooden: St. Louis Post Dispatch
Moderator: Patty Wente, CEO and President, International Photography Hall of Fame
Four of our community's finest photojournalists shared some of their most visually compelling photographs and the stories behind them at last night's "Pictures Worth 1,000 Words" program at the Missouri History Museum, which was co-sponsored by the St. Louis Press Club and International Photojournalism Hall of Fame. J.B. Forbes, Christian Gooden, Dan Donovan and David Carson were the guest panelists for the program moderated by Patricia Wente. The event was held in conjunction with the museum's "Worth a 1,000 Words" exhibit. The program highlighted the importance of photojournalism in today's age of easy photo manipulation. True photojournalists capture moments that tell a story with their photographs that are both unstaged and unchanged.
The four photojournalists featured on the panel;
(from left to right) David Carson, Dan Donovan,
Christian Gooden, and J.B. Forbes.
Dr. Frances Levine, of The Missouri History Museum,
introducing the event moderator, Patty Wente and
the four panelists.
Photojournalist and panelist, Dan Donovan,
sharing one of his favorite photos taken during
a
St. Louis Cardinals game.
St. Louis Press Club Annual Meeting and Dinner
December 18, 2019 at 6:00 p.m.
Missouri Athletic Club - Downtown
Featuring Guest Speaker
Correspondent Peter Maer
Veteran broadcast journalist Peter Maer’s career centered on nearly 35 years as a White House correspondent.
Prior to his retirement in 2015, Maer covered the presidential beat for CBS News for nearly 20 years. He previously covered the White House for NBC Radio News and Mutual Broadcasting. His assignments included major world summits and other key events, including every political convention, campaign and election from 1980 to 2016. He continues to serve as a CBS News Contributor. Maer’s assignments took him to nearly every state and more than 50 foreign countries.
Maer was among the reporters and administration officials evacuated from the White House on September 11, 2001. He was a member the CBS News team honored with an Edward R. Murrow Award for coverage of the first anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. He played a leading role in the network's Murrow Award-winning coverage of the Clinton impeachment trial. Maer also won a Murrow Award for feature reporting. He is a five-time recipient of the prestigious Merriman Smith Award for Presidential Coverage Under Deadline Pressure.
He won Scripps-Howard and National Radio Festival Awards for radio documentaries on President Clinton's initiative on race relations and the anniversary of the integration of Little Rock’s Central High School. He is the recipient of the 2019 “Walter Cronkite Faith and Freedom Award” presented by Interfaith Alliance. He also was inducted into the Society of Professional Journalists Hall of Fame.
He was honored with Overseas Press Club citations for his coverage of the 1985 Mexico City earthquake and the 1986 Reagan-Gorbachev Summit. Maer was a longtime member of the White House Correspondents’ Association and served as a board member, secretary and treasurer.
Prior to his network career, Maer worked as a reporter at radio stations in the St. Louis area, starting at hometown station WGNU and WIBV Belleville, KSHE and WEW. From St. Louis, Maer went on to stations in Nashville and Atlanta.
A native of Granite City, Illinois, Maer is a graduate of Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. He was twice chosen as the school's commencement speaker and was the recipient of an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. He was also inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame. Maer has served as a guest journalism lecturer at The George Washington University, American University and the University of Mary Washington. He was a Visiting Fellow on “The Presidency and the Press” at The Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communication at New Hampshire’s Franklin Pierce University.
Maer and his wife Elizabeth Doyne Maer take pride in their two grown children and five grandchildren.
St. Louis Press Club’s
2019 MEDIA PERSONS OF THE YEAR GALA
St. Louis Press Club's Beauty Buzz Raises Scholarship Funds
Over $16,000 was raised for journalism scholarships at our annual Beauty Buzz event September 7 at Neiman Marcus. After a reception of passed breakfast bites and beverages (including delicious mimosas), Nearly 180 women of all ages were treated to a fall fashion runway show combined with tips and tricks on skin care, cosmetics and fragrance products shared by beauty experts from 13 companies. Jasmine Huda, anchor/reporter KTVI Fox 2, emceed the program.
"Journalists are facing many difficult challenges simply wanting to do their jobs informing the public," said Aisha Sultan, co-chair of the event and columnist with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "This popular Press Club event allows us to raise money that helps support the future generation of journalists whose work is so critical to democracy."
Sultan and her daughter Ameena Sultan Khan were the mother-daughter chairperson team. Thanks go to Cheryl DiMauro, Manager of Neiman Marcus at Plaza Frontenac, and the show coordinators Ashley Kelly, Cosmetics Manager and Jewele Merrit, Fine Apparel Manager.
Presented by The Greater St. Louis Association of Black Journalists and the St. Louis Press Club
A forum that featurd leading local journalists, community and academic leaders, discussed the pros and cons of the divided governmental structure of the St. Louis metro region. The forum analyzed the history as well as the future of our divided regional structure. The audience was invited to submit questions.
Journalists were: Venton Blandon, KMOV-TV News 4 Jo Mannies, formerly of St. Louis Public Radio and St. Louis Post-Dispatch Sharon Stevens, HEC-TV producer and former KSDK education reporter Dale Singer, retired St. Louis Public Radio.
Panelists included: Virvus Jones, former St. Louis City Comptroller Pat Kelly, Executive Director of the Municipal League of Metropolitan St. Louis Todd Swanstrom, Des Lee Professor of Community Collaboration and Public Policy Administration, Community Innovation and Action Center, University of Missouri-St. Louis Mike Jones, former policy aide to former Mayor Clarence Harmon and former County Executive Charley Dooley and Lewis Reed, President of St. Louis City Board of Aldermen.
Sylvester Brown, Jr.
"When Journalists Listen: The Story of a Word Warrior."
July 26
Rendezvous Room of the Missouri Athletic Club-downtown,
407 Washington
At 5:30 p.m on July 26, Press Club hosted Sylvester Brown, Jr. – author, community activist and former St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter – who spoke about "When Journalists Listen: The Story of a Word Warrior."
Prior to Brown's position with the Post, he published Take Five Magazine, an investigative regional publication, for 15 years. The publication received more than 30 awards for its investigative series, general reporting and Sylvester’s political and social commentaries. Brown also founded the Sweet Potato Project, a St. Louis-based entrepreneurial and agricultural program for urban youth.
July 30, 2019
John C. McManus
“Fire and Fortitude: The US Army In The Pacific War, 1941-1943”
St. Louis County Library Headquarters
7:00p.m.
Doors open at 6:00 p.m.
In this engrossing, epic history of the US Army in the Pacific War, John McManus, one of our most highly acclaimed historians of World War II, takes readers from Pearl Harbor, a rude awakening for a military woefully unprepared for war, to Makin, a sliver of coral reef where the Army was tested against the increasingly desperate Japanese. In between were nearly two years of punishing combat as the Army transformed from an undertrained garrison force into an unstoppable juggernaut, and America evolved from an inward-looking nation into a global superpower.
Presented by the ‘Buzz’ Westfall Favorite Author Series.
Books will be available for purchase at the event from the Novel Neighbor.
July 9, 2019
Charles Fishman
“One Giant Leap: The Impossible Mission That Flew Us To The Moon”
St. Louis County Library Headquarters
7:00p.m.
Doors open at 6:00 p.m.
From the bestselling author of “The Wal-Mart Effect,” “One Giant Leap” introduces readers to the men and women tasked with putting a man on the moon. From the halls of MIT, where the eccentric digital pioneer Charles Draper created the two computers aboard Apollo 11, to the factories where hundreds of women weaved computer programs with copper wire, Charles Fishman captures the sweeping achievement of these ordinary Americans.
Presented by the ‘Buzz’ Westfall Favorite Author Series.
Books will be available for purchase at the event from the Novel Neighbor.
June 24, 2019
William J. Burns
"The Back Channel: A Memoir of American Diplomacy and the Case for it's Renewal"
St. Louis County Library Headquarters
7:00p.m.
Doors open at 6:00 p.m.
Over the course of more than three decades as an American diplomat, William J. Burns played a central role in the most consequential diplomatic episodes of his time—from the bloodless end of the Cold War to the collapse of post–Cold War relations with Putin’s Russia, from post–9/11 tumult in the Middle East to the secret nuclear talks with Iran. Drawing on a trove of newly declassified cables and memos, Burns gives readers a rare inside look at American diplomacy in action. “The Back Channel” is an eloquent, deeply informed, and timely story of a life spent in service of American interests abroad. It is also a powerful reminder, in a time of great turmoil, of the enduring importance of diplomacy.
Presented by the ‘Buzz’ Westfall Favorite Author Series.
Books will be available for purchase at the event from Left Bank Books.
June 17, 2019
Monte Reel
"A Brotherhood of Spies: The U-2 and the CIA's Secret War"
St. Louis County Library Headquarters
7:00p.m.
Doors open at 6:00 p.m.
Award-winning journalist presents a thrilling narrative of the top-secret Cold War-era spy plane operation that transformed the CIA. On May 1, 1960, an American U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union just weeks before a peace summit between the two nations. The CIA concocted a cover story for President Eisenhower to deliver, assuring him that no one could have survived a fall from that altitude. But against all odds, pilot Francis Gary Powers emerged from the wreckage and was seized by the KGB. He confessed to espionage charges, revealing to the world that Eisenhower had just lied to the American people—and to the Soviet Premier. In this true-life thriller, Reel reveals how the U-2 spy program, principally devised by four men working in secret, upended the Cold War.
Presented by the ‘Buzz’ Westfall Favorite Author Series.
June 18, 2019
Elliot Ackerman
"Places and Names: on War, Revolution, and Returning"
St. Louis County Library Headquarters
7:00p.m.
Doors open at 6:00 p.m.
From a decorated Marine war veteran, renowned war correspondent, and National Book Award-nominated novelist, Elliot Ackerman’s memoir “Places and Names” is an astonishing reckoning with the nature of combat and the human cost of the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria. Ackerman weaves his personal stories of battle into the latticework of a larger reckoning with contemporary geopolitics. At once an intensely personal book about the terrible lure of combat and a brilliant meditation on the larger meaning of the past two decades of strife, “Places and Names” bids fair to take its place among our greatest books about modern war.
Presented by the ‘Buzz’ Westfall Favorite Author Series.
St. Louis Press Club and Journalism Foundation Scholarship Luncheon
Noon, Friday, May 31
Missouri Athletic Club-West County, 1777 Des Peres Road
From left, Ron Elz, Dan Farrell, Spencer Koch, Carol Daniel;
Front, Sarah Bryan Miller
Media Persons of the Year Gala
Kick-Off Cocktail Reception
Saks 5th Avenue Shoe Salon
May 23
Kick-off Cocktail Reception for Media Persons of the Year Saks Fifth Avenue hosted the St. Louis Press Club's kick-off reception introducing the individuals who will be honored at the upcoming 2019 Media Persons of the Year Gala, which will be held on November 21. Hors d'oeuvres were served compliments of Ruth's Chris Steak House.
2019 Media Persons of the Year will be:
Print:
Robert Cohn, St. Louis Jewish Light Editor Emeritus and Sarah Bryan Miller, St. Louis Post-Dispatch Classical Music Critic Radio:
Ron Elz and Carol Daniel, KMOX broadcasters Television:
Spencer Koch, KTVI retired General Manager and Dave Murray, KTVI retired Meterologist Public Relations:
Dan Farrell, St. Louis Cardinals' Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing National Lifetime Achievement:
Barry Petersen, CBS news correspondent.
Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Presents
" Representation & Responsibility: Equity in Journalism and the Media" Panel Discussion
Thursday, April 25 at 7 p.m.
Harris-Stowe State University
Private pre-program reception from 6 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. for Opera Theater and Press Club members with hors d'oeuvres and beverages in room adjacent to auditorium.
Parking is available in the main lots on the SW side of Compton/Laclede (I.e. across Compton from the Chaifetz Arena). Guests should follow signage towards the Harris-Stowe Bookstore as this is in the same building as the auditorium.
Complimentary dessert reception will follow panel.
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED, BUT WILL BE RESCHEDULED. PLEASE CHECK BACK FOR UPDATES.
April 26, 11:30 a.m.: Friday Forum featuring Sylvester Brown Jr. "When Journalists Listen: The Story of a Word Warrior" at
MAC-Downtown. Optional lunch buffet.
Photo courtesy of St. Louis Public Radio
Our forum speaker, Sylvester Brown Jr. – author, community activist and former St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter, will talk about "When Journalists Listen: The Story of a Word Warrior."
Prior to his position with the Post, Brown published Take Five Magazine, an investigative regional publication, for 15 years. The publication received more than 30 awards for its investigative series, general reporting and Sylvester’s political and social commentaries. Brown also founded the Sweet Potato Project, a St. Louis-based entrepreneurial and agricultural program for urban youth. This project inspired his recently released book, “When We Listen: Recognizing the Potential of Urban Youth.”
The noon forum is open to all (by reservation due to limited space). RSVP by April 24 please to info@stlpressclub.org or by calling 314-449-8029. The optional buffet lunch begins at 11:30 a.m. and is $20 for Press Club members, $25 for all others. (MAC garage parking free for lunch guests with validated ticket.)
St. Louis Press Club members applaud St. Louis Post-Dispatch metro columnist Tony Messenger for his Pulitzer Prize in commentary for his articles exposing the judicial abuses of power putting Missourians into "debtors prisons" for their inability to pay jail board. If you haven't already read about it, check out these links:
Post-Dispatch columnist Tony Messenger wins Pulitzer...
ST. LOUIS * Post-Dispatch metro columnist Tony Messenger has won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary, for a series of columns about debtors prisons in Missouri, the Pulitzer awards committee announced Monday. Messenger found defendants across the...
Tony Messenger is the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's metro columnist, writing four columns a week in a position he has held since September 2016. He was editorial page editor from July 2012 until becoming metro columnist. He joined the Post-Dispatch...
“Other People” Film Screening and Discussion on April 18 at Missouri History Museum
St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist and Press Club member Aisha Sultan will screen her film, “Other People,” and moderate a discussion between audience members and a panel of the region’s brightest thought-leaders at 7:00 p.m. Thursday, April 18 at the Missouri History Museum auditorium.
This 10 minute film chronicles an awkward situation that begins when a millennial mom takes her daughter on a play date. It takes a nuanced look at the assumptions we make about those we consider "other."
The film was sponsored by the St. Louis Press Club and made possible through generous donations. All Press Club members and their guests are encouraged to attend. It will be free and open to the public. A reception will follow after the program. No reservations required.
Enjoy front row reserved seating at St. Louis County Library "In Conversation" Author Series sponsored by St. Louis Press Club
March 25, 2019
Evan Thomas
"First: Sandra Day O’Connor"
St. Louis Press Club Friday Forum: March 22
Better Together's executive director Nancy Rice and Marius Johnson-Malone, Depty Director of Community Based Studies spoke and answer questions about the
proposed city-county merger.
Nancy Rice
Better Together's executive director
Marius Johnson-Malone
Depty Director of Community Based Studies
If coming for lunch buffet click here to pay by credit card
or mail a check to St. Louis Press Club, PO Box 410522, St. Louis, MO 63141.
Reservations:Due to limited space, reservations are required for all attendees.
By email to info@stlpressclub.org or phone to 314-449-8029.
St. Louis County Library "In Conversation" Author Series sponsored by St. Louis Press Club
March 12, 2019
Lynne Olson
"Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler"
Press Club members, media representatives and guests heard the plans and opinions of our city’s presidential candidates for Board of Aldermen at the club’s FRIDAY FORUM at the Missouri Athletic Club-Downtown on Feb. 22. From left, Lewis Reed, moderator Charles Jaco, Megan Ellyia Green, and Jailah Nasheed.
Click Here to see Doug Moore's front page article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Click Here to see Jason Rosenbaum's coverage for St. Louis Public Radio.
Thursday, January 17 at 11:30 a.m. January Forum: Political Pundits Kelley and Hancock Share Straight Talk about Republican-Democrat Divide
The first Press Club lunch forum of the year featured Mike Kelley and John Hancock, political experts whose programs on KMOX and Fox 2 inform and entertain our region with their opinions each week. On January 17, the Press Club forum audience, which included journalism students as well as media professionals, enjoyed a lunch at The Highlands in Forest Park and a stimulating exchange of ideas with Kelley and Hancock. Click Here to view photos from the event.
December 5, 2018
Andrew Delbanco
"The War Before the War: Fugitive Slaves and the Struggle for America's Soul from the Revolution to the Civil War" Click Here to view photos of this event
November 27, 2018
H.W. Brands
"Heirs of the Founders: The Epic Rivalry of Henry Clay, John Calhoun and Daniel Webster, the Second Generation of American Giants" Click Here to view photos of this event
November 8, 2018
Nathaniel Philbrick
"In the Hurricane's Eye: The Genius of George Washington and the Victory at Yorktown" Click Here to view photos of this event