With 2024 and my tenure as your President ending very soon now, I recently took some time after the recent National Election to look back on my past writings and observations.  I was especially interested in my comments from the Summer 2024 President’s Comments, in which I reviewed our organization’s number one guiding principle governing the conduct of IPCC business and policies for well over a decade now, that of Neutrality of Purpose.

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The following is an excerpt from that commentary: 

“There comes a point where every so often a person or an organization will look at themselves to determine if their course of action is still relevant or in need of change.

Here at the International Press Club of Chicago we have done just that and have made some determinations in the process.

But in all this time, both preceding me and during my tenure, the one constant we all see, share, and have been known to adhere to, is the one of Neutrality of Purpose.  Where regardless of Politics, National Upheavals, or popular vs unpopular movements within the nations we have dealt with over the years we have remained above their latest individual National Crisis de jour!

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This single-minded effort of purpose, where we collectively decided years ago to depart from the widespread yellow journalistic tendencies of today’s modern press, has allowed the IPCC to slowly develop a reputation for fairness and forward looking beyond the many damning headlines of today….”.  

 

As the saying goes, “hindsight is 20/20” and it’s just as true today as when it first appeared a century more or less ago!  The only difference is that the stakes are much higher today than ever before.

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It’s no surprise that the year-long lead-up to the recent election information flow has divided our nation as never before in modern times.  Accusations, false statements, half-truths and outrageous claims flew about us all in daily life and of course in the legacy Media like Fall leaves blowing on the winds of Autumn.

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And we were all supposed to accept it all on face value as the Gospel!

Which brings us up to today, and all the recent occurrences involving accusations of press misrepresentation, coordinated deceit, followed by all the associated finger pointing at a myriad of pundits and even the visit of two opposition cable network luminaries to Mar a Lago to make amends!  And of course, the surprisingly positive outcome of our policy of neutrality when it came to non-attributional fabrications and blatant biasness in the press.
 
Another old rule applies once more…” we are here to REPORT the News…NOT MAKE It!”

Everyone has their own personal opinions, and we are not any different, but the publicly visible line is drawn if the IPCC were to run afoul of our own rules and get caught up in the feeding frenzies all around us.  Because of this avoidance of joining in, our reputation as an honest broker, and a truthful trustworthy organization was and will now continue to be maintained and preserved!  I paid a price by my/our insistence we continue that course,  with members, family friends and professional associates, but now in the end, it was worth it!  We never compromised!  I consider this to be a pretty good legacy to go out on, that of maintaining the long-established integrity of the organization!

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Now, not only is another year reaching a close, but so is my time as President.  After 12 years with an additional one year off for medical reasons, I have been the longest serving President in the history of the IPCC.  As such, I’ve seen an enormous number of changes, the majority of which are to the good!  But one of which in particular, is the assent of our Member Mr. Ehren Muhammed to Communications Director on up to Vice President, and now onward as my recommended replacement on the January ballot.  Ehren has the knowledge, strength of conviction, and tireless wherewithal to take our organization into the future!

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It’s time to wish every one of our Members, Friends, Associates, Contacts, Diplomatic Luminaries who have all supported us through this difficult series of years and helped form the IPCC into the organization we are today a Very Happy Holiday Season and a Fruitful and Positive New Year!

And yes, for those who have been wondering, I am traveling in a week or so to Athens to once more guarantee our place in a field of 70 International Teams as the IPCC Rally Team in the 2025 Tour du Peloponnese Vintage Auto Rally next October in Greece!

So now in closing, I say once more, a Very Happy Holiday Season to You and Yours, and Thank You for your vote of confidence these many years!

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With Sincerity and Humility,

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Wayne