Capitol Hill Power Players Return to The Washington Press Club Foundation's 64th...

Capitol Hill Power Players Return to The Washington Press Club Foundation's
64th Annual Congressional Dinner

February 13, 2008

At the Ritz Carlton Washington Hotel, Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Washington Press Club
Foundation's 64th Annual Congressional Dinner will again pair power players
from the House and the Senate for an evening of bipartisan banter and barbs.
A conservative Senator will face off with a liberal Democrat for Washington,
D.C. style "off the record fun." Well... as off the record as is possible in
a room filled with journalists and pundits.

The speakers for the 2008 dinner are, Congressman Rahm Emanuel of Illinois,
the Democratic Caucus Chair, and Senator John Cornyn of Texas, the Republican
Conference vice chair. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Republican Leader
Senator Mitch McConnell will join them as special guests. Tony Snow, former
White House Press Secretary, is the master of ceremonies for the evening.

More than 800 distinguished guests will gather for this year's 'by invitation
only' Congressional Dinner, Washington's premier media affair, where members
of Congress, elected officials and the diplomatic corps mix and mingle with
members of the Washington press corps. Inaugurated by the Women's National
Press Club in the early 1940s to introduce the new members of Congress to
Washington, the event is one of the oldest and traditionally the first of the
year's media galas.

In addition to the two prestigious awards presented at the dinner, the David
Lynch Prize and the Washington Press Club Foundation's Lifetime Achievement
Award, the evening's program gets to the heart of the workings on Capitol Hill
as interpreted, with a wink and a nod, by representatives from the
Congressional leadership. Previous year's speakers have included Speaker of
the House Nancy Pelosi, Senator Ted Kennedy, Senator Hillary Clinton,
Representative John Boehner, Senator John McCain and Senator Sam Brownback.

This 2008 recipient of the Washington Press Club Foundation's Lifetime
Achievement Award is Tad Bartimus. Tad is a former Vietnam war correspondent
and the first female bureau chief at The Associated Press. Tad has had a long
distinguished career as a journalist and a writer as well as working to
promote equality in the newsroom and mentoring women pursuing careers as
journalists and writers.

Washington Press Club Foundation History
The Washington Press Club Foundation originated in 1919 as the Women's
National Press Club, formed to give female journalists who were barred from
membership in the National Press Club and the Gridiron Club. As it grew in
prominence and membership, the group ultimately helped to challenge the
tradition of the all-male news bureau and to open doors for women and
minorities to be employed equally in newsrooms.

In 1971, the Women's National Press Club voted to admit male journalists as
members and changed its name to the Washington Press Club. Soon after, the
National Press Club opened its doors to female members. The two merged in
1985, and the Washington Press Club became the Washington Press Club
Foundation, a nonprofit, tax-exempt corporation to support and promote the
ideals of equality and excellence in journalism.

Washington Press Club Foundation Current Projects

The Washington Press Club Foundation supports journalism scholarships,
primarily for women and minorities, pursuing journalism majors at Washington,
D.C.-area universities. It also funds nationally recognized educational
projects preserving the history of women in journalism, including compiling a
major oral history project.

The Congressional Dinner is the major fundraising event for the Foundation,
supporting these and other programs. Limited sponsorships opportunities which
enable non journalism organizations to participate in the 'by invitation only'
dinner are available.

SOURCE Washington Press Club Foundation

Suzanne Pierron of the Washington Press Club Foundation, +1-202-393-0613