Announcing David Gregory as Closing General Session Speaker!

David Gregory, moderator of NBC’s Meet the Press, will be the keynote speaker for NECA’s Closing General Session. Gregory will replace Bob Schieffer, who has been called away on assignment.

Regarded as one of the toughest interviewers working in Washington, D.C., Gregory rarely makes public appearances outside of his broadcasts on NBC’s Nightly News with Brian Williams, Today, and Meet the Press. He was NBC’s chief White House correspondent during George W. Bush’s presidency, leading former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer to say, “No one was a tougher, more aggressive questioner in the briefing room than David Gregory. But when it came time to go on the air, he was always nothing but fair.”

Gregory’s ability to get the real story while staying connected the people behind the news makes him an excellent choice as NECA’s closing general session speaker. At the Closing General Session, he will speak candidly about covering the most powerful office in the world, and talk openly about the role of the popular media, its reputation, and its responsibilities as a form of mass communication.

In his role as moderator of Meet the Press, Gregory helms the longest-running television series in American broadcasting history. Meet the Press is consistently the highest-rated of the Sunday morning talk shows frequented by elected officials and policymakers. Gregory’s interviews go beyond the standing talking points into a robust discussion of actions, possibilities and consequences.

Through terror attacks, two wars, presidential campaigns, policy debates, Supreme Court nominations, and a historic leak investigation, Gregory has earned a reputation for being one of the toughest interrogators of President Bush and press secretaries Scott McClellan and Tony Snow. His reputation has earned him the nickname the “firebrand in the front row,” as well as the distinction of being one of Washington’s 50 best and most influential journalists by Washingtonian magazine.

In the fall of 2005, Gregory became a frequent substitute for Matt Lauer on Today. He has anchored the weekend editions of Nightly News and Today. As a political commentator, he can often be seen and heard on the Chris Matthews Show and Hardball. You won’t want to miss David Gregory as NECA’s Closing General Session speaker!