Please show your support for freedom of the press by joining us on Thursday, April 28, 2022, for a luncheon event featuring a panel of experts who will discuss the importance of a free press in commemoration of World Press Freedom Day May 3.
The event will be held at the Tiburon Golf Club, 2620 Tiburon Drive, Naples, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Tickets are $40 for members, $50 for guests, and $10 for students. You can RSVP and purchase your ticket on Eventbrite by clicking here. While we encourage all attendees to pay in advance via Eventbrite, members can choose to pay at the door by sending an email to RSVP@pressclubswfl.org.
Pamela Marsh
Among our panelists will be Pamela Marsh, Executive Director of the First Amendment Foundation, a non-partisan non-profit that believes government openness and transparency are critical to citizen trust and participation in our democratic society. Pamela co-authored an opinion column March 13 about Florida sunshine laws, which was published in the Naples Daily News and the Fort Myers News-Press. You can read the column, “How to Kill Local Journalism in Florida,” by clicking here. Florida sunshine laws will be among the key topics discussed by the press club panel on April 28.
Wendy Fullerton Powell
Joining Pamela on the panel will be Wendy Fullerton Powell. Having spent more than 32 years as a journalist in Southwest Florida, Wendy Fullerton Powell was recently appointed Executive Editor of the Naples Daily News and deputy regional editor for the USA TODAY Network-Florida, Southwest region, which includes Lakeland, Fort Myers and Naples. She has spent most of her career with The News-Press, first as a reporter, then editor. Since Gannett bought the Naples Daily News, she’s led both newsrooms, engaging with readers daily and working closely with reporters and editors to focus on stories that matter to the community.
Tom Doerr
Rounding out the panel will be Tom Doerr, news director for WINK News, Noticas WINK, and winknews.com. He is responsible for overseeing over 70 hours of local news programming a week in English and Spanish on WINK-TV, WXCW-TV, and Univision SWFL, as well as digital content on winknews.com, and WINK’s social media outlets. Since his arrival in 2016, Tom has doubled the investigative reporting unit, as well as added specialty reporters for environmental, safety, and medical issues, as well as a reporter dedicated to reporting on cases of misinformation.
World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) is a global celebration of press freedom that has been observed annually since its inception by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993. This year’s WPFD Global Conference, organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), is being co-hosted by UNESCO and Uruguay, and will be held on May 3 in Punta del Este, Uruguay. Concurrently, more than 200 communities around the world will also be celebrating WPFD.
The Press Club of Southwest Florida is honored to join the global WPFD celebration by hosting this special luncheon for members and guests on April 28. Panelists will be discussing the state of press freedom, with a particular emphasis on how the First Amendment impacts local journalism.
Please RSVP today. We hope to see you there!