NPC Update-1 Podcast

A broadcast era comes to an end this Friday. CBS News Radio will shut down following the last national newscast Friday night, after nearly 100 years of broadcasting. In the latest Update-1 podcast, former CBS Radio anchor and reporter Sam Litzinger, a press club member, talks with Broadcast Podcast team co-chair Mike Hempen about his nearly 20 years at the network, its history and tradition. Sam discusses the legendary Edward R. Murrow and the Murrow Boys and offers thoughts on the future of radio news.

October 14 marked a deadline set by the Pentagon for accredited members of the media to sign a controversial pledge to retain access rights to the building. Dozens of outlets, including right-leaning Fox News and the Washington Times, refused with only a couple agreeing to unprecedented and arguably unconstitutional restrictions. In this edition of Update-1, NPC Broadcast/Podcast co-chair Adam Konowe speaks with Aaron Mehta, editor-in-chief of Breaking Defense and a Pentagon Press Association board member. Mehta explains how journalists had worked previously under administrations of both parties, the fundamental problems associated with the new pledge, why it was important for the defense trade media to unify under a single statement of opposition, and how reporters covering the Pentagon will continue to do so - albeit from a distance.

Documentary photographer Ben Sarao is no stranger to drought, having experienced the weather condition up and down the western United States. That drove him to self-publish a book titled "Drought" and then to photograph the devastation caused by California's Palisades Fire in January 2025. In this edition of Update-1, Sarao speaks with Broadcast/Podcast Team Co-Chair Adam Konowe about what drew him to photography, the impact of AI and other technology, sensitivities associated with covering the loss of life and property and the photos on display at the NPC. The conversation concludes with reflections on the importance of organizations like the American Red Cross in recovery and renewal.

Israel says it plans to take over Gaza City, escalating its 22-month war with Hamas and drawing a dismissal from the militant group. Israel's intentions have renewed international calls to end the conflict and have stirred fears for the hostages still in Gaza. Karim Elsammak has been involved in Mideast affairs, working for the Trump campaign in the Arab American community in New York and Michigan.  In this episode of Update-1, he talks with Broadcast Podcast team co-chair Mike Hempen about the feedback he's getting regarding the situation in Gaza. He also offers thoughts on the worsening humanitarian crisis, the possibility of a truce and what he believes is the long-term solution for peace in Gaza.

It will still be several months before the National Transportation Safety Board issues its final report as to the cause of January’s deadly midair collision between a passenger jet and a Black Hawk helicopter at Reagan National Airport. Sixty-seven people died in what was the deadliest U.S. plane crash in more than two decades. In this episode of Update-1, CNN aviation and transportation correspondent Pete Muntean, who reports from Reagan National on a regular basis, talks about what it was like covering that accident. In an interview with Broadcast Podcast team member Gemma Puglisi, Munteam, who's a pilot and flight instructor, talks about using airplane models to explain to the viewers the technicalities of what happened. He also discusses the human toll the accident is having on the families of the victims.

Independent journalist and National Press Club member Miranda Spivack details the underreported rise in secret dealmaking between local governments and corporations and how these agreements are a threat to our health, safety and democracy in her new book that was just released. Spivack discusses "Backroom Deals in Our Backyards: How Government Secrecy Harms Our Communities and the Local Heroes Fighting Back" with Broadcast Podcast member Bill Loveless in the latest Update-1 podcast. They talk about "accidental activists" who combat secrecy around poisoned drinking water, dangerous roads, failing sewers and tainted firefighter protective gear. They also discuss ways people can take action against secret dealmaking. 

Navy veteran and journalist Zach Baddorf is the co-founder of Military Veterans in Journalism. With a focus of building community, supporting career growth and advocating for Vets, one of MVJ's main goals is to place more veterans in America's Newsrooms. In this episode of Update-1, National Press Club Broadcast/Podcast Team member Lincoln Smith talks with Baddorf about his own career and the 2019 founding of Military Veterans in Journalism.