Press Blog

NOTE:  If you have a question for us that we haven't answered below, let us know! 

Q. Who are you?

A. We are a few members of the National Press Club.  You can read a little about some of us here.

Q. Is this an official site of the National Press Club?

A. No. 

Q. But you are actual members of the National Press Club?

A. Yes. Some of us joined recently, others in the last ten or fifteen years, one of our founding members first joined in the 1960's.

Q. So why isn't this an official site?

A.  A bunch of reasons.  First let's make it clear that we all love the Club, that's why we're members.  But one reason this site is independent is that  the Club by-laws empower the Club president - who serves a one-year term - with full authority to form and dissolve any committee, and to appoint and dismiss any committee member, and to authorize or forbid any committee action.  Were we to build this blog with the authority of the Club on any given year, it would be under the authority of a committee, or the Board of Governors, and therefore subject to the desires of the Club president in any given year.  Therefore the blog could potentially be deactivated or substantially changed in any given year, in any way, depending on who would be president.   And we wish to be free from that risk.

Q.  When did you start?

A.  The first iteration was back around ... I forget, maybe 2006.  But that was just an experiment and part of a larger proof-of-concept project, not a serious effort at building a real blog.  We launched this particular site in the summer of 2011.

Q.  Why then?

A.  No reason.  We had the time and interest.  That, and we finally finished the digitization of shrdlu, and the optical character conversion of the Twentieth Anniversary Yearbook, two projects we wanted to include when we went live.

Q. We?  Who's "we"?

A.  Well, me.

Q.  Ok, who's "me"?

A.  Uh ... my name is ... Billiken Gerstenberg.  Yeah, that's it.

Q.  Why "Billiken Gerstenberg"?

A.  Because "Poor Richard" was taken.  Among other reasons.

Q. Seems like there should be a "von" in there, like "Billiken von Gerstenberg".

A. Well now you're just being silly.  It's Billiken Gerstenberg.

Q.  Can anyone blog here?

A.  For starters, we're saying that all members of the National Press Club are invited to register.  The ONLY THING WE ASK is that all bloggers honor the spirit and intent of the camaraderie of the Club.  Feel free to disagree, but keep it relatively lighthearted and positive.  And if you wish to get politically opinionated, that's OK but note that we reserve the right to categorize political opinion accordingly.  For example, if folks choose to blog here about right-wing or left-wing politics, we might develop categories for "right-wing" and "left-wing" issues.

Q.  What's this "we reserve the right" stuff?  Sounds like you don't want to be subject to the Board or Club president so that you can make up your own rules.

A.  Exactly.

Q.  So you're a power-mad egotistical freak.

A.  Maybe.

Q. Are you currently on any medication?

A.  Not currently, but I will say this ... if the blog really does take off with members, we'll call a meeting at the Club with the participants and decide as a group how to move forward. 

Q. Sort of like an "Occupy Blogosphere".

A. Yes, but with better food service, the Club is great for that.  And no tents in the Truman Lounge.  The tent spikes won't hold on the lushly carpeted concrete floors.

Q.  What about people who aren't members of the National Press Club?  Can they blog here?

A.  Ah, see, another reason why we're independent.  We're open to suggestions on this.  If someone can make a good case for why they should have a blog here, we'll consider it.  No promises though. 

Q.  What about NPC members who already have a blog somewhere.

A.  If members already have a blog that has an RSS feed, we'll love to create a feed here and display it.  Just let us know.

Q.  Anything else we should know?

A.  Yes.  This FAQ is subject to change.  Stay tuned.