Boards & Affiliations
Bill has been very active in organizations that help defend and promote the profession of journalism and its practitioners:
Overseas Press Club (OPCofAmerica.org): Bill was president from 1994 to 1996 and remains active on the board. He was chairman of the annual Awards Dinner for several years, raising significant funding. He has chaired judging panels and served as chair of the nominating committee. Most recently, in May 2019, he organized a day-long event entitled “Tiananmen Square Thirty Years Later: A Portent of China’s More Authoritarian Future?” See www.opcofamerica.org for video footage.
Overseas Press Club Foundation (OverseasPressClubFoundation.org): Bill has been president since 1996. The Foundation, a closely related sister of the OPC, gives 18 scholarships and internships to college students who aspire to become foreign correspondents. It is the largest, most visible national program encouraging students to become correspondents. The annual luncheon is held every February at the Yale Club in Manhattan.
The current endowment exceeds $1.5 million. The OPC Foundation has recently emerged as the fiscal sponsor for A Culture of Safety (ACOS), the coalition the news industry, freelancers and NGOs have established to promote the training and best treatment of freelancers around the world. To support that relationship, Bill also serves on the board of ACOS.
