World Press Freedom Week - Press Freedom Center at the National Press Club

May 1-2, 2025 | Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON, April 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As attacks on journalists escalate worldwide, the Press Freedom Center at the National Press Club will host a critical week of conversations leading up to World Press Freedom Day 2025.

Throughout the week, frontline reporters, editors, exiled journalists, and press freedom advocates will gather in Washington to confront growing threats and highlight the urgent fight to defend a free press at home and abroad. From the plight of imprisoned journalists to the battle to preserve independent media, these timely discussions will feature some of the most respected voices in journalism. Events are open to the press and the public.

Note: Dates, times, and speakers are subject to change. For updates, visit our website.

Thursday, May 1 

12:00 p.m. | Free Austin Tice
Debra Tice, mother of journalist Austin Tice — abducted in Syria and still held captive — joins Washington Post Executive Editor Matt Murray to share the latest on efforts to bring Austin home. Tice remains the only American journalist currently detained abroad.
Cost: $35 per person (lunch included)
RSVP using this link.

1:30 p.m. | Press Freedom at Home: Confronting U.S. Challenges
National Press Club President Mike Balsamo leads a high-level conversation on the escalating threats to press freedom in the United States — from courtroom battles to coordinated online harassment campaigns against journalists, and the growing infringements on independent newsgathering.
Cost: Free
RSVP using this link.

3:00 p.m. | Saving VOA, RFE/RL, and RFA: Why it Matters
Paul Beckett, former Assistant Editor at The Wall Street Journal, who led the Journal's efforts to secure Evan Gershkovich's release, moderates a vital discussion on the existential threat facing Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and Radio Free Asia. He'll be joined by journalists from each outlet to examine what's at stake for global reporting and the journalists risking their lives to deliver the news.
Cost: Free
RSVP using this link.

4:00 p.m. | Supporting Exiled Journalists
Jason Rezaian, Director of Press Freedom Initiatives at The Washington Post and Chair of the Press Freedom Center Advisory Board, joins Bill McCarren, Director of the Press Freedom Center, to host a powerful panel with exiled journalists Mohammad Mosaed and Ksenia Mironova. They will discuss rebuilding careers in exile, and how the Press Freedom Center is helping to support displaced journalists around the world.
Cost: Free
RSVP using this link.

6:30 p.m. | Covering Russia: Reporting at the Front Lines
Moderated by Amanda Bennett, former CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, this panel will feature the editorial team from the Barents Observer, an independent Arctic news outlet reporting on the tense Russia-Norway border region. Founder Atle Staalesen, editor Thomas Nilsen, and a reporter joining remotely from exile will share their firsthand experiences reporting from Norway after fleeing Russia.
A cocktail reception will follow.
Cost: Free (both panel and reception)
RSVP to the discussion using this link.
RSVP to the cocktail reception using this link.

Friday, May 2

8:30 a.m. | Breakfast with Freed Journalist Alsu Kurmasheva
Jason Rezaian sits down with Alsu Kurmasheva of Radio Free Europe, who will reflect on her detention in Russia, her return to reporting, and ongoing efforts to free the 10 VOA, RFE/RL, and RFA journalists still imprisoned worldwide.
Cost: $20 per person (breakfast included)
RSVP using this link.

10:00 a.m. | Russian Journalists in Exile: Reporting from Berlin
Alsu Kurmasheva moderates a conversation with Russian journalists now reporting from exile in Berlin, offering firsthand perspectives on the risks, realities, and resilience of covering Russia from abroad.
Cost: Free
RSVP using this link.

1:00 p.m. | Global Press Freedom Outlook: Virtual Roundtable
Bill McCarren, Paul Beckett, Jason Rezaian, Mike Balsamo, and other press freedom leaders take a region-by-region look at the global state of press freedom, highlighting critical cases and developments to watch in 2025.
Cost: Free
RSVP using this link.

We look forward to seeing you all there! To learn more about the work of the Press Freedom Center, visit our website. To read about the work the Press Freedom Center has been doing lately, catch up on our latest press releases. To make a donation to the Press Freedom Center, follow this link.

Contact: Bill McCarren, Director, Press Freedom Center at the National Press Club
202-662-7534 | [email protected]

SOURCE National Press Club