National Press Club Premieres Centennial Documentary

By: E&P Staff The National Press Club premiered its centennial documentary, "The National Press Club at 100: A Century of Headlines" in conjunction with Des Moines, Iowa-based company Aviva USA on Friday. The two organizations have teamed up to launch a campaign based on the film to educate young journalists about the NPC?s history and future.

The hour-long film traces the NPC's transformation from a social meeting place for Washington reporters to a professional organization with its own television studio and training programs. The club's historical significance is underscored with scenes of Nikita Kruschev visiting it in the 1950s and Martin Luther King Jr. visiting in the 1960s, at the height of the civil rights movement.

Aviva USA, a subsidiary of the British insurance company Aviva plc, provided funding for the production of 12,000 DVDs and brochures linked to the documentary and their distribution to public libraries, community organizations, and journalism schools in the United States. In honor of their support, the NPC presented Aviva USA with the first National Press Club Centennial Founders Award.

Press Club President Jerry Zremski said in a statement, ?The National Press Club has a deep and rich history that tells a large part of the development of journalism in America. We are pleased that Aviva USA, a company with an impressive history and tradition, shares our belief that the story of the Press Club will help transmit journalistic values and traditions to young and aspiring journalists.?

?The National Press Club has an illustrious history of promoting the highest professional standards in journalism,? Aviva USA President and CEO Tom Godlasky said in a statement. ?Aviva USA is honored to support this landmark Centennial education program.?