Category: Scoop


  • Legislators Keep Trying to Weaken Journalists

    As expected, two Florida lawmakers have introduced defamation bills in the current legislative session, marking the third consecutive year of efforts to lower the bar for defamation claims against media organizations. While less extreme than earlier versions, these bills remain impractical and threaten journalistic protections. Republican Representative J.J. Grow (District 23) sponsors HB 667, and State…

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  • April Newsmaker Luncheon Speaker to Make an Announcement

    The theme of the Press Club’s April 9th Newsmaker luncheon will be “An Insider’s Look at NCH’s Future.” NCH’s Chief Impact Officer, Mara Hammond, will give us a peek at the strategic vision and transformation underway to dramatically advance healthcare for Southwest Florida. As Chief Impact Officer, Hammond’s job is to see and develop a strategy to meet…

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  • Save the Date: Future of Healthcare in SWFL April 9 Luncheon with Mara Hammond

    The Press Club of Southwest Florida is excited to announce its upcoming Newsmaker Luncheon on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, at Seasons 52. This engaging event will feature Naples Comprehensive Health’s (NCH) dynamic Chief Impact Officer, Mara Hammond. Attendees will have the opportunity to listen to and ask questions of Hammond, whose visionary role is essential…

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  • Tom Marquardt: “Be aware, be aware”

    Tom Marquardt has a warning for all journalists: “Number one, is that you have to be alert to your surroundings,” he told the Press Club of Southwest Florida in a presentation at its March 11 meeting, held at the Naples Hilton. “My life has changed. I have weapons in my house now and my wife…

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  • Surviving Unfounded Optimism

    As soon as Gail read my response, she gave me that look. She knew I had fallen off the wagon. As the wife of a recovering optimist, she recognized all the telltale signs. It always starts the same way—with a baselessly positive reaction to bad news. A Press Club colleague had sent a breaking news email: The White…

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  • Reminders: Join Us for Lunch March 11; Renew Your Membership for 2025

    RSVP for March 11 Luncheon: “Pressed to Kill: Inside Newspapers’ Worst Mass Murder” If you haven’t yet made a reservation for lunch on March 11 at the Naples Hilton, now is the time! You won’t want to miss this hard-hitting presentation by board member Tom Marquardt, author of the new book, “Pressed to Kill: Inside…

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  • Spotlight on Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation

    Most people think of catching a sexual predator as lying in wait for someone to walk through a door in anticipation of a good time. It is that. But for Lt. Wade Williams of the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, it is also a digital hunt in a vast, dark, online realm for extraordinarily cruel, perverse…

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  • Join Us March 11: “Pressed to Kill: Inside Newspapers’ Worst Mass Murder”

    Press Club board member Tom Marquardt has written a book you’ll probably want to read. Before you do, however, hear Tom give a compelling account of what the book is about at the upcoming March 11 press club luncheon. WHEN: Tuesday, March 11, 2025. Registration starts at 11:30, opening remarks begin at noon, and event…

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  • Renew Your Membership and Expand Your Journalism Family

    We value your membership in the Press Club of Southwest Florida and encourage you to renew your membership by paying your 2025 dues, which were due Jan. 31, 2025. Club dues are still one of the best bargains in town — $75 a year, or $30 a year if you are under 30. There are…

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