By Betsy Russell
Registration is open now for all three of our big events this month: A private, in-person, on-the-record Q-and-A in Boise with New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman for our members only on April 26, in conjunction with the Frank Church Institute; our top-notch Journalists Institute on Covering the Courts, which will be April 29 in Boise; and our gala annual awards banquet the evening of April 29 at the Boise Centre East to celebrate Idaho journalism.
The Maggie Haberman event will be in conjunction with the BSU Frank Church Institute’s April 26 event, the Frank & Bethine Church Public Service Award Dinner with keynote speaker Maggie Haberman, who will speak on “How Democracies Thrive and Survive in the 21st Century – A Journalist’s Perspective.” The Idaho Press Club is a co-sponsor of this event at the Boise Centre on the Grove-West, which will also include a meeting between Haberman and local students from BSU and Boise Schools that afternoon, followed by our Press Club exclusive with her from 3:45-4:30 p.m. Pre-register for the IPC/Haberman event by emailing Betsy ASAP at bzrussell@gmail.com; please include your name, affiliation, contact info and Press Club membership status.
We will hear a few words from Maggie, and then have the opportunity to question her on the record about journalism, from interviewing techniques, tips, experiences she’s had and challenges she’s faced as one of the nation’s top political reporters, to her perspectives on the state of the media, democracy and the future of journalism. Priority for asking questions during our event will go to working press and student members. There is no charge.
The dinner with Haberman’s keynote speech that day will begin at 6 p.m. and is the annual major fundraiser for the Frank Church Institute; tickets are available for purchase online at this address: https://www.boisestate.edu/sps-frankchurchinstitute/. During the dinner, Haberman will receive the Institute’s National Public Service Award; the institute also will be presenting its Local Public Service Award to, well, me! I am very honored and humbled.
The mission of the Frank Church Institute is education, leadership, and public service through promoting civic engagement and understanding of public policy with a focus on democracy, the environment, and international relations, in partnership with the School of Public Service at Boise State University. It sponsors the annual High School Model U.N., bringing in hundreds of high school students from around Idaho free of charge along with their teachers; and issues scholarships to students interested in public service; among its many efforts.
Please see below for more information on the Journalists Institute on Covering the Courts, and above for the IPC’s annual awards banquet honoring the best journalism in Idaho; both are on April 29, and registration is open now for both with deadlines coming up.
Also in this issue: An article from Inlander reporter Daniel Walters about how Rep. Heather Scott’s husband threatened to sue over the publication’s use of a much-published photo of Scott holding a confederate battle flag; our “Meet Your IPC” feature has board member James Dawson answering questions from Audrey Dutton; and the latest Media Moves.
Betsy Russell retired Jan. 1 as the Boise bureau chief and statehouse reporter for the Idaho Press and Adams Publishing; she completes her term as president of the Idaho Press Club on April 29.
