Gridiron Club

The Gridiron Club, founded in 1885, is the oldest and most prestigious journalistic organization in Washington, D.C. Its 65 active members represent major newspapers, news services, news magazines and broadcast networks. Membership is by invitation only and has traditionally been offered almost exclusively to Washington newspaper bureau chiefs. Recently, however, it has begun opening its doors to such non-newspaper media figures as Tim Russert of NBC News, Bob Schieffer of CBS News, Mara Liasson of National Public Radio, and Judy Woodruff of PBS. [http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0407/3379.html Andrew Glass, "Cheney Yuks It Up With the Press", The Politico, April 1, 2007] ]

In 1958, the club established the Gridiron Foundation, which makes charitable contributions and provides scholarships, including underwriting five journalism students at the University of Maryland each year, known as Gridiron Scholars, as well as a Gridiron Fellow pursuing a master's degree. [http://www.journalism.umd.edu/newrel/03newrel/gridiron03.html]

=Officers=The presidency of the club rotates annually, and for 2008 is held by Carl Leubsdorf of the Dallas Morning News. ]

Gridiron Club Dinner

The Gridiron Club is best known for its annual dinner which traditionally features the United States Marine Band, along with satirical musical skits by the members and remarks by the President of the United States and representatives of each political party. The skits and speeches by various politicians are expected to be self-deprecating or otherwise sharply comedic. ]

Every U.S. President except Grover Cleveland has spoken at the dinner since 1885. Hillary and Bill Clinton have both spoken at Club dinners, [http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0307/3016.html Andrew Glass, "Clinton & Clinton Inc.", The Politico, March 10, 2007] ] and the 2008 dinner marked the sixth time that that President George W. Bush attended during his presidency. ] The dinner is held in the Spring, usually in March. Between 1945 and 2006, the dinner was held at the Capital Hilton. But it moved in 2007 to the Renaissance Washington ] .

It is one of the only remaining large-scale white-tie affairs in Washington. [http://www.politico.com/blogs/anneschroeder/0307/Shenanigans_March_28_2007.html Shenanigans, The Politico, March 28, 2007] ] It offers a neutral ground on which members of the press and various elected officials and political operatives can break bread together. ]

Also as is true of the WHCA Dinner and RTCA Dinner, the Gridiron Club Dinner has been subject to criticism that it encourages journalists to engage in undue coziness with the political officials they are supposed to fairly cover, and also that the public spectacle of "playing footsie" with reporters' main subjects is bringing the political press into disgrace. [http://www.prweek.com/us/news/article/648526/Joke-press-annual-DC-dinners/ Hamilton Nolan, "Joke is on the press at annual DC dinners", PRWeek, April 3, 2007] ]

For example, at the 2007 dinner, columnist Robert Novak impersonated Vice President Dick Cheney while satirizing the Scooter Libby case, which Novak helped initiate. ]

References

ee also

* Radio and Television Correspondents' Association
* White House Correspondents' Association
* National Press Club

External links

* [http://www.gridironclub.org/grid/DesktopDefault.aspx The Gridiron Club of Washington, D.C.]
* [http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/03/bushs_texas_farewellbrown_brow.html March 7, 2008 Gridiron Club dinner]
* [http://articles.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20060312000509990015&ncid=NWS00010000000001 March 11, 2006 Gridiron Club dinner]
* [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30807-2005Mar13.html March 12, 2005 Gridiron Club dinner]