Congratulations to Terry Michael for 25 years of WCP&J

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A tip of the hat is owed to Terry Michael, for setting up and maintaining, over the last 25 years, the Washington Center for Politics & Journalism. Terry, a native of Downstate Illinois, worked as a press secretary for Senator Paul Simon on Capitol Hill and in his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988. Afterwards, he set up WCPJ as a semester-long program for college students interested in journalism, with internships in Washington bureaus, classes with guest speakers of multiple political persuasions from journalism, political consulting and public office. Despite (or perhaps because of?) his own partisan background, Terry always emphasized objectivity, fairness and openness to multiple points of view — things that have not always characterized Washington journalism.

With media outlets facing reduced budgets, Terry has reluctantly concluded that the program cannot continue any longer. I've been honored to serve as a member of the WCP&J board of directors, succeeding the late Tony Blankley, and thus to have played a minor part in sustaining an institution which has, without much public notice, played a significant part in elevating journalism and public commentary in Washington and around the nation.

Here's a list of some of the journalists that have been among the 519 participants in the Washington Center for Politics and Journalism. Pretty impressive.

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