National Press Club to Organize Filing Center for Journalists Covering Presidential Debates
Sep 16, 2020, 18:35 ET
WASHINGTON, Sept. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Press Club (NPC) today announced that the Club will serve as a Washington, D.C. Press Filing Center for the upcoming general election presidential and vice presidential debates.
"We are pleased to support the Commission on Presidential Debates this fall in hosting the press corps and offering our colleagues a safe and professional environment for viewing each of the debates and filing their stories," said National Press Club President Michael Freedman. "With many newsrooms closed and space for the press limited at the debate sites, the Club is proud to engage in what it does best – serve the needs of journalists in the course of their work."
The moderators, sites, and dates for the four general election debates are as follows:
First presidential debate:
Chris Wallace, Anchor, Fox News Sunday
Tuesday, September 29, Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
Vice presidential debate:
Susan Page, Washington Bureau chief, USA Today
Wednesday, October 7, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
Second presidential debate (town meeting):
Steve Scully, Senior Executive Producer & Political Editor, C-SPAN Networks
Thursday, October 15, Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Miami, FL
Third presidential debate:
Kristen Welker, Co-Anchor Weekend TODAY, White House Correspondent, NBC News
Thursday, October 22, Belmont University, Nashville, TN
Credentialed journalists who wish to reserve space in the NPC Press Filing Center may do so by contacting [email protected].
Space is limited in order to accommodate public health and social distancing guidelines. Preference will be given to credentialed, working journalists and within that subset, to National Press Club members, on a first-come-first-served basis. A wait-list will be created after all slots are filled.
To gain admittance, all registered attendees must submit to temperature checks, screening questions and other security procedures before entering the Club. While in the Club, journalists must wear masks at all times except when filing for broadcast. National Press Club staff will enforce six feet of social distancing including for camera crews. Those who fail to comply will need to leave for their safety and that of others. No partisan or advocacy organizations will be admitted to the Filing Center space.
For more information on the NPC's Press Filing Center please visit: https://www.press.org/debates2020
Founded in 1908, the National Press Club is The World's Leading Professional Organization for Journalists™ with more than 3,000 members. The Club speaks out on press freedom issues and annually recognizes journalists at risk at home and abroad with the John Aubuchon Award for Press Freedom.
PRESS CONTACT: Lindsay Underwood for the National Press Club; [email protected]
SOURCE National Press Club
