Military Reporters & Editors Conference
Date
Friday
November 7, 2025
Location
Medill School of Journalism’s Washington Newsroom in the Washington Post Building
1301 K Street, NW, Suite 200 West
Washington, DC 20005
Agenda
2025 MRE Conference
8:30 – 9:00
Socialize and network. Complimentary coffee and pastries available.
9:00 – 9:10
Welcome remarks from MRE President Jen Judson
9:10 – 9:55
Press Freedom Post Pentagon Walkout
- Tom Bowman, Pentagon Correspondent, NPR
- Tony Capaccio, Pentagon Correspondent, Bloomberg News
- Aaron Mehta, Editor in Chief, Breaking Defense
- Mallory Shelbourne, Pentagon Correspondent, USNI News
Moderated by Steve Beynon
10:00 – 10:45
A Reporter’s Guide to Untangling the Freedom of Information Act (Off the Record)
- Nate Jones, FOIA director, The Washington Post
- Geoff Ziezulewicz, Axios
Moderated by Haley Britzky
10:50 – 11:35
Afghans Who Worked with U.S. Face an Increasingly Uncertain Future
- Shawn VanDiver, founder and President of #AfghanEvac, a coalition of 250 groups which advocate on behalf of Afghans who worked with U.S. troops.
- Hadeia Amiry, Center for a New American Security, former Special Advisor to the National Security Advisor to the President of Afghanistan from 2018 to 2020.
- Zia Ghafoori, Interpreting Freedom Foundation. He is an Afghanistan-born former interpreter for U.S. Special Forces.
- Sweeta Azimi, Program Coordinator for the Afghan Legal Services Project at the California Immigration Project.
Moderated by Steve Walsh
11:45 – 12:30
KEYNOTE: The Way Forward for Ukraine, the U.S., and Their NATO Allies
- Current Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Olga Stefanishyna
Moderated by Carla Babb
12:30 – 1:00
LUNCH
1:05 – 1:50
Reporting Overseas Amidst Authoritarian Regimes
- Pete Cobus, Voice of America
- Fadi Mansour, Al Jazeera
- Jason Rezian, The Washington Post
Moderated by Carla Babb
2:00 – 2:45
Former Air Force Secretaries Discuss the Current Challenges of U.S. Military
- Frank Kendall, Former Air Force Secretary from July 2021–January 2025
- F. Whitten Peters, Former Air Force Secretary from 1997 to 1999 and Deputy General Counsel of DoD
Moderated by Sigurd Christenson
3:00 – 3:45
A conversation with Barbara Starr
- Barbara Starr is an outspoken advocate for press freedom. She was CNN Pentagon correspondent for 21 years and is now a senior fellow at the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy.
Moderated by Steve Walsh
4:00 – 4:45
The Frontline of Information: Lessons from Pentagon Spokespeople
- A conversation with panelists
Moderated by Carla Babb
5:00 – 5:30
Military Reporters & Editors Awards Ceremony
- Presentation of awards to winners of the 2025 MRE Journalism Contest.
5:30 – 6:00
Social Mixer
- Join us for light snacks and wine or beer.
After Conference Option
7:00 p.m.
The Combat Correspondent’s Dinner
The dinner will be at the National Press Club, 529 14th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20045. Prix Fixe Dinner $45 (not including drinks, taxes, tip).
Updated 11/6/2025 9:00pm EST