Gridiron Club

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The Gridiron Club, founded in 1885, is the oldest and most prestigious journalistic organization in Washington, D.C. Its 65 active members represent major newspapers, news services, news magazines and broadcast networks. Membership is by invitation only and has traditionally been offered almost exclusively to Washington newspaper bureau chiefs. Recently, however, it has begun opening its doors to such non-newspaper media figures as Tim Russert of NBC News, Bob Schieffer of CBS News, Mara Liasson of National Public Radio, and Judy Woodruff of PBS.^[1]

In 1958, the club established the Gridiron Foundation, which makes charitable contributions and provides scholarships, including underwriting five journalism students at the University of Maryland each year, known as Gridiron Scholars, as well as a Gridiron Fellow pursuing a master's degree. [1]

1 Officers

[edit] Officers

The presidency of the club rotates annually, and for 2008 is held by Carl Leubsdorf of the Dallas Morning News.^[1]

[edit] Gridiron Club Dinner

The Gridiron Club is best known for its annual dinner which traditionally features the United States Marine Band, along with satirical musical skits by the members and remarks by the President of the United States and representatives of each political party. The skits and speeches by various politicians are expected to be self-deprecating or otherwise sharply comedic.^[1]

Every U.S. President except Grover Cleveland has spoken at the dinner since 1885. Hillary and Bill Clinton have both spoken at Club dinners,^[2] and the 2008 dinner marked the sixth time that that President George W. Bush attended during his presidency.^[1] The dinner is held in the Spring, usually in March. Between 1945 and 2006, the dinner was held at the Capital Hilton. But it moved in 2007 to the Renaissance Washington^[1].

It is one of the only remaining large-scale white-tie affairs in Washington.^[3] It offers a neutral ground on which members of the press and various elected officials and political operatives can break bread together.^[1]

Also as is true of the WHCA Dinner and RTCA Dinner, the Gridiron Club Dinner has been subject to criticism that it encourages journalists to engage in undue coziness with the political officials they are supposed to fairly cover, and also that the public spectacle of "playing footsie" with reporters' main subjects is bringing the political press into disgrace.^[4]

For example, at the 2007 dinner, columnist Robert Novak impersonated Vice President Dick Cheney while satirizing the Scooter Libby case, which Novak helped initiate.^[4]