NAA Chairman, Knight Ridder CEO P. Anthony (Tony) Ridder to Address NPC on 'The Press Under Pressure: Delivering on Our Mission' 9/23/2003
From: Melinda T. Cooke of the National Press Club, 202-662-7516, mcooke@press.org; Speakers Committee Contacts: Benfred Clement Smith, bcsnconsulting@aol.com or Jesse R. Borges, diversitydoc@aol.com News Advisory: "The Press Under Pressure: Delivering on Our Mission" is the title of an address by P. Anthony (Tony) Ridder, Chairman of the Board of the Newspaper Association of America (a nonprofit organization representing the $55 billion newspaper industry), and chairman and CEO of Knight Ridder (the second largest newspaper publisher in the U.S.). During his luncheon speech, which is scheduled to be delivered to the National Press Club on Wednesday, Oct. 8, Ridder is expected to discuss such important topics as the challenges that news organizations face in reporting during an era of increasing government secrecy, the industry's survival in the age of the Internet, and his own efforts to recharge the industry's diversity agenda. Tony Ridder comes from a newspaper family and has spent his life in the business. He has been chairman and CEO of Knight Ridder since 1995, moving to the Knight Ridder corporate staff from his job as president and publisher of the San Jose Mercury News. Ridder joined the Mercury News in 1964 and was serving as general manager when appointed publisher in 1977. He was president of the company from 1989 to 1995 and president of the Newspaper Division from 1986 until 1995. Ridder is chairman of the Newspaper Association of America and serves on the executive committee and board of the Associated Press. He is on the advisory board of the Center for Economic Policy Research at Stanford University and the Graduate School of Business. The National Press Club luncheon will begin promptly at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 8. Ridder's remarks will begin just after 1 p.m., followed by a question and answer session. Advance reservations should be made by telephoning 202-662-7501. Cost of luncheon admission is $16 for National Press Club members, $28 for their guests and $35 for general admission. The National Press Club is located at 14th and F Streets, NW, one block west of Metro Center. About the National Press Club The National Press Club, founded in 1908, has over 4,000 members in Washington and worldwide. Widely known for its Speakers Luncheon Series, televised by C-SPAN and carried by National Public Radio, the NPC also is Washington's most frequently used venue for news conferences. The NPC conducts an aggressive program of professional education for journalists, funds scholarships for minority journalism students, and operates the nation's only non-academic research library for journalists. To learn more about the National Press Club, please visit our Web site at http://www.press.org or call 202-662-7595. |