National Journalism Center

Founded by conservative journalist M. Stanton Evans in 1977, the National Journalism Center (NJC) is, in the words of current director Ken Grubbs, Jr., "a juggernaut for creating journalists." The NJC provides training and assistance in finding jobs to conservative journalists and has long-standing ties to the tobacco industry.

While the Center maintains a relatively low-profile in a high-profile city, it has given birth to a number of alumni who, through their engagement in public policy journalism and activism, have proven extremely effective in promoting conservative ideas.

NJC offers scholarships to budding young journalist-wannabes so that they can attend its six-to-12-week training sessions, where they receive training in the technical skills of journalism, combined with "economic fellowships," that tell them what to think about topics such as Social Security, federal land policies, environmental regulation and taxation.

Interns at the NJC also receive career advice at seminars featuring speakers from the world of conservative politics and journalism, such as columnist Robert Novak, Washington Times political correspondent Donald Lambro, or Wall Street Journal editorialist John Fund (himself an NJC alumnus).

The NJC also arranges internship opportunities at conservative media, such as Human Events, Fox News or Policy Review, as well as similar internship opportunities with traditional media including such as ABC, CNN and Newsweek.

Finally, it operates a job bank to help place graduates of its programs in permanent media positions. "Over 1,400 students have now graduated from the NJC's 12-week training sessions, held three times a year, and we estimate some 900 of these have gone on to media and media-related positions," declares the NJC web site.

"Among the media outlets where NJCers have worked are the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal; ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS, NPR, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC and C-SPAN; Time, Newsweek, New Yorker, Harper's, Esquire, National Geographic, Readers' Digest, Wired, George, Details, Stuff and Forbes; AP, UPI, Dow Jones Newswire, Bloomberg News Service, Copley News Service, Knight Ridder News Service, and hundreds more," the web site states.

The NJC also is linked with other conservative industry-funded groups. In Cotober 1995, M. Stanton Evans was slated to give the keynote address at a seminar, titled "Consumer Health and Safety: Does the Nanny State Help or Harm Consumers," during National Consumers' Week, organised by Consumer Alert. [1]

According to a guide to right wing groups on universities, the NJC "is a product of the American Conservative Union." [2]The NJC operated as a project of the Educational Research Institute, headed by Evans, which received funds for the NJC.

The National Journalism Center and Philip Morris

An internal Philip Morris (PM) memo explained the role and benefits to the company of working with the NJC. “The group was developed to train budding journalists in free market political and economic principles. As a direct result of our support we have been able to work with alumni of this program … about 15 years worth of journalists at print and visual media throughout the country … to get across our side of the story … which has resulted in numerous pieces consistent with our point of view,” the strategy paper stated. (Note: the "..." breaks are in the original and the above citation is unedited).

In a 1993 memo, Philip Morris discussed an NJC symposium on Clinton's health care plan. While the symposium was “going to highlight the numerous problems of the administration’s plan including funding (FET)”, Philip Morris canvassed the possibility of additional spin-off from the event. (FET is the acronym for the Federal Excise Tax on tobacco).

“Generate additional publicity on the symposia by issuing a special edition of Consumers’ Research magazine on health care. The magazine could serve as a credible lobbying material and be distributed to grassroots organizations opposed to the administration’s plan. The magazine would be a means to document the highlights of the conference for those who were unable to attend the forum”, the PM memo stated.

PM was willing to help with funding too, though not overtly from the tobacco industry. “Consumers’ Research could be supported from food and beer product advertising in the magazine or by purchase of copies of the magazine,” the memo stated. [3]

Consumers' Research certainly took an interest in PM's pet issues. A PM memo reported that "with respect to ETS, two feature articles in Conumers" Research magazine were published that challenged the lung cancer and heart disease health claims. Consumers' Research also publiched a story that was critical of the regulatory decisions made by the EPA," the report stated.[4]

Another memo, issued by PM the following year, reported on its unfolding work with the NJC and its alumni. “We also co-sponsored in December a policy mini-briefing on health care for a broad cross section of the Center’s Alumni Council, and are now working with the Journalism Center in the development of a major health care policy conference (tentatively scheduled for late April/early May) that will debunk the myths of the Clinton plan, explain the ill-advised proposals to fund any such plan with excise taxes, and promote alternative, market-driven plans,&#8221, an internal PM strategy stated.

“The forum will be chaired by Sen. Phil Gramm (R-TX), and will have considerable participation from legislators, media and friendly policy group personell,” it noted.

Another internal PM memo, explained the “formula for pro-active media relations within the conservative community” developed by one of its executive, Dr Tom Borelli.

“Dr Borelli has developed his network through persistence, the use of mutual friends/acquaintances to make appropriate introductions and, when necessary, by cold-calling. The process takes a long time to reach fruition, and the benefits sometimes come in the unseen form of a negative story that isn’t printed or advance notice of a difficult reporter,&#8221, the 1997 memo noted.

Identifying “third-party spokespeople&#8221, as one of the groups of the contacts that could be cultivated, the memo cited Borelli’s work with the National Journalism Center as an example. “The key is to commit to the background research which will link individuals with relevant causes, and then cultivate the relationships of those individuals. An example here is Dr Borelli’s relationship with the National Journalism Center,&#8221, the memo explained.

“A small organization devoted to cultivating conservative, professional journalists from students and young writers, the NJC publishes “Consumers Research Magazine,” a conservative publication with limited circulation. The relationship with this organization has given Dr Borelli entrée to a number of the NJC’s graduates, many of whom have become part of his network of conservative media contacts,” it explained.

While time spent cultivating writers at small publications could easily be dismissed as less than cost-effective, Borelli thought otherwise. “Publications like “Consumer Research”, “Reason” and “Science&#8221 serve as resources for story ideas for the mainstream media; therefore, the ability to influence journalists at these more targeted outlets is often as important as contact with more prominent publications,&#8221, the memo explained.[5]

Funding

• Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation
• John M. Olin Foundation

In the four financial years from 1998 to 2001, the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation contributed a total of $160,000 - $40,000 each year - to the general operations of the center. (They also contributed a further $105,000 over the 1986-1988 period).[6] In 2002, NJC's grant was cut to $25,000.

In 2001, the NJC's parent organisation, the Education and Research Institute received $40,000 from the John M. Olin Foundation for the NJC. [7]

According to the conservative Capital Research Center, the Education & Research Institute 1999 return - the last it accessed - revealed that ERI ran at a $97,000 loss that year with revenue of $403,058 and expenditure $500,031. It also revealed that in 1994, 1997 and 1998, Exxon Mobil contributed $6,000 each year with a further $6,000 from Exxon Educational Foundation in 1998. In 1994 and 1995 Philip’s Petroleum contributed $5,000 and $1,000 respectively. [8]

Personnel

Until recently, the NJC was directed by M. Stanton Evans, who also edited Consumers' Research (NJC). Major changes followed Evans' departure with the organisation being "taken over" as a project of the Young America's Foundation, with Tom Phillips the chairman of Human Events parent company, chairing the new board of governors. [9]

In September 2002, Evans retired and was replaced by Kenneth E. Grubbs, Jr.[10]

The NJC now has only two staff: Grubbs and Mark LaRochelle. Kelly Harris, who has carriage for fundraising from foundations for the Young America's Foundation, also is listed as Associate Director of the NJC.

NJC alumni

Since its formation in 1977, the NJC claim that, of the 1400 people who have attended their 12-week long training sessions, 900 have gone on to media and media-related positions. While a high percentage of those who were trained by the NJC appear to have had relatively short media life spans, a minority have carved our careers as media commentators, in conservative think-tanks, trade associations, lobbying or PR companies. [11]

A selection of NJC “alumni&#8221, with the date of their course in brackets, who have endured, as well as some who appear to be rising stars, are:

• John Barnes (summer ’81)
• Joel Bucher (fall ’92)
• Mike Caputo (summer ’85)
• Timothy P. Carney (summer ’99)
• Michael Catanzaro (summer ’96)
• Eileen Ciesla (fall ’00)
• Ann Coulter (spring ’85)
• Brett Decker (spring ’96)
• Michael Fumento (fall ’85)
• John Fund (summer ’81)
• Maggie Gallagher (summer ’80)
• Barbara Gracey (spring ’83)
• Tim Graham (fall ’87)
• Steven Hayward (spring ’81)
• Matt Hisrich (summer ’99)
• Tom Holt (summer ’84)
• John Hood (summer ’87)
• Mark Huber (summer ’79)
• Michael Johns (summer ’83)
• Cliff Kincaid (summer ’78)
• R. Cort Kirkwood (fall ’83)
• Mark LaRochelle (summer ’90)
• Elizabeth Larson (summer ’90)
• Karen Lotter/ Hickey (spring ’96)
• William McGurn (summer ’80)
• John Merline (fall ’84)
• John Meroney (summer ’94)
• Richard Miniter (summer ’88)
• Sean Paige (spring ’88)
• Richard Vigilante (fall ’79)
• Christopher Westley (fall ’84)
• Martin Morse Wooster (spring ’8

Some of the alumni wax lyrical about the role of the NJC in getting them started as conservative commentators. According to Ann Coulter: "NJC teaches writers to locate primary sources, run down facts, and get quotes. Partisan bile you have to develop on your own." ­Michael Fumento too endorses the NJC: "No institution has worked harder or been more effective than the National Journalism Center in preventing 'responsible journalism' from becoming a true oxymoron." [12]

Contact information

http://nationaljournalismcenter.org

Other Resources

• New project, Bates No 2046662829, April 1993 (estimated), page 2.
• Unitled, Bates No 2021170039,August 13, 1993 (estimated), page 6.
• Philip Morris, “Tobacco strategy”, Bates No 2022887066, March 1994.
• Dalya Massachi and Rich Rowan, "Excerpt from Guide to Uncovering the Right on Campus," October 1994.
• Consumer Alert,"National Consumers Week seminar", Bates No 2046968854, October 1995, page 1.
• “Proactive media relations: the Borelli formula”, Bates No 2072927845/7848, August 1997 (estimated date), page 2.
• Joseph A. D'Agostino, “Conservative Spotlight: National Journalism Center”, Oct 9, 2003(D'Agostino is the Associate Editor of Human Events, a conservative online journal with close ties to the NJC).
• Media Transparency, “The National Journalism Center, accessed November 29, 2003.