Get Going! Join the Press Club’s Great Board

Friday, September 17, 2004 8:22 PM BY TED JOHNSON Candidates for the 2005 Los Angeles Press Club Board of Directors are invited to present their proposals at the Annual Meeting on Sept. 30 in Hollywood. Any journalist who has been a member of the Press Club for at least a year is welcome to run for one of seven open seats. At the gathering, which usually attracts a good- sized crowd of journalists and other Press Club members, candidates will present short statements about themselves and their ideas. If interested,…

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Our Loss: Karen Ocamb Leaving Club’s Board

Friday, September 17, 2004 8:12 PM Karen Ocamb, a high-profile member of the Los Angeles Press Club Board of Directors and an award-winning journalist, is stepping down to devote more time to her flowering career. At the August 2004 board meeting, which adjourned in Karen’s honor, several board members spoke about the incredible work Karen has done since 2001 to fight for public access to supposedly “open” government records and meetings, which are often wrongly and illegally restricted. As chairwoman of the club-supported coalition known as the Sunshine Committee, Karen…

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Bush/Kerry: How Do We Sift Through It All?

Wednesday, September 08, 2004 2:05 PM With two months left before the presidential election, what kind of coverage can we expect from the national news media? Did the media become obsessed with the Swift Boat controversy because it was sexier and easier than examining John Kerry’s and George Bush’s differences on economics and health care? Where have the bright spots been so far? Four experts in politics and media will tackle these questions in “Bush-Kerry: How’re We Doing?”, ”a Los Angeles Press Club panel on Wednesday, Sept. 8, at the…

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Book Party for Luke Ford

Thursday, August 19, 2004 2:06 PM WHO: Amy Alkon, Emmanuelle Richard, Cathy Seipp and the L.A. Press Club invite you to… WHAT: A party for Luke Ford, who has just published two books: “XXX-Communicated: Rebel Without a Shul,” a memoir about his years reconciling his Orthodox Judaism with his Matt Drudge-style coverage of the San Fernando Valley’s biggest Industry; and “The Producers: Profiles In Frustration,” a collection of his favorite interviews with Hollywood players. WHEN: Thursday, Aug. 19, from 7-10pm. WHERE: The fabulous rooftop pool of the Wyndham Bel-Age Hotel…

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The Press Club invites you to: Book Party 11/01, Film Panel 11/10, Meet Howard Rosenberg 11/18

Thursday, August 19, 2004 2:01 PM WHO: Amy Alkon, Emmanuelle Richard, Cathy Seipp and the L.A. Press Club invite you to… WHAT: A nonpartisan election eve party celebrating the publication of the new book “All the President’s Spin,” by the Spinsanity guys: Ben Fritz (who writes for Variety in L.A. and so will be at the party), Bryan Keefer and Brendan Nyan (who do not live in L.A. and so, alas, will not.) WHEN: Monday, Nov. 1, from 7-10 p.m. WHERE: Nic’s Martini Lounge in Beverly Hills, 453 N. Canon…

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Lawyers in the Newsroom? A Panel Discussion Aug. 4

Wednesday, August 04, 2004 2:08 PM In late June, the BBC put out new editorial standards. The BBC wants to prevent another “unfounded report” like the one last May from reporter Andrew Gilligan. On live radio, Gilligan suggested that British officials knew the claim that Iraq could use WMDS within 45 minutes was weak. Gilligan relied on an off-the-record conversation with scientist David Kelly, who later commited suicide. The BBC’s new standards make editors, reporters, anchors, and producers more accountable. They call for limited use of anonymous sources; better note-taking;…

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Diplomacy and Chocolate

Saturday, July 17, 2004 7:58 PM BY DIANA LJUNGAEUS A few months ago Donna Barstow and Yael Swerdlow met at a Press Club book party and posed for a photo together. Now, these two Press Club club members have both achieved new milestones. Donna has a cartoon book of her own out, and Yael has launched a new career as director of media rela- tions for the Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles. The 8 Ball took a moment to catch up with these two busy women. Yael Swerdlow…

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One Man Show

Saturday, July 17, 2004 7:44 PM BY BOB BAKER You may make more money than Lance Orozco, but he knows what counts: He runs a one-reporter opera- tion, wears blue jeans to work, doesn’t put on a tie, covers the stories he wants to—and is the newly crowned Los Angeles Press Club Radio Journalist of the Year. “We’ve all worked for big news entities and we’ve all said, ‘Boy, if I were covering the news, I know what I’d do,’” says Orozco, 46, the reporter/news director of KCLU-FM, the public-radio…

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Unruly Genius: Blogs and the Future of Journalism

Saturday, July 17, 2004 7:38 PM BY JON BEAUPRE It’s a fact: nothing has shaken up the world of journalism so much since Mr. Guttenberg invented moveable type. Not Jayson Blair, not Stephen Glass, not Jack Kelley. Those guys were one-offs who will (hopefully) be object lessons for journos the world over. Blogging, however, could change the meaning of news and journalism forever. (At this point, every contemporary article on the subject explains that ‘blog’ is short for ‘web-log’, a form of online interactive journal, but then you already knew…

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