Foreign Correspondents' Club is a group of clubs for

foreign correspondent A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is usually a journalist or commentator for a magazine, or an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, locati ...

s and other

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

s. Some clubs are members only, and some are open to the public. In 1883 the first associations of foreign correspondents were founded in Paris: ''Syndicat de la Presse Étrangère à Paris'' : 10 rue Lentonnet , Paris 9 ; f . 1883 ; Pres . Elisabeth Dmitrieff ; Sec . - Gen . Sylvain Krainik, avocat à la Cour et jour naliste ; Mme SOPHIA Dimonte. and Vienna. In 1888 the

Foreign Press Association The Foreign Press Association (FPA) is a not-for-profit Friendly Society established in 1888, at the time of the Jack the Ripper murders. It organises press briefings and events at central locations in London and coordinates and facilitates the wor ...

was founded in London.

Cambodia

The Foreign Correspondents' Club in

Phnom Penh Phnom Penh is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Cambodia, most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since 1865 and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its political, economic, industr ...

, capital of

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

, is a public bar and restaurant along the Tonle Sap river, not far from the conjunction with the

Mekong The Mekong or Mekong River ( , ) is a transboundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth-longest river and the third-longest in Asia with an estimated length of and a drainage area of , discharging of wat ...

river. It is often referred to as "the FCC," or just simply "the F." The FCC in Phnom Penh is a for-profit restaurant, not a membership club for journalists. Members from reciprocal clubs get a 10% discount on food and drinks.

China

China has three foreign correspondents' clubs, based in

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

, and

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

Beijing

The

Foreign Correspondents' Club of China The Foreign Correspondents' Club of China (FCCC; ) is the professional organization of foreign journalists based in Beijing, China. In July 2018, because FCCC was not officially registered, the Chinese government considered the organization to be ...

was established in

in 1981. The objectives of the club are to promote friendship and professional exchange among foreign correspondents stationed in China, to promote professionalism in journalism and to defend the ideals of freedom of the press and the free exchange of information. It holds several speaking and social events each month, and conducts an annual Working Conditions Survey of its members.

Shanghai

The Shanghai Foreign Correspondents Club (SFCC) aims to provide a forum for discussion of important issues of the day, introduce its members to new business and cultural personalities, and allow members of the

journalism community to meet each other on an informal basis. The SFCC also serves as the foreign correspondents community's voice to the Shanghai government and foreign affairs office on issues that concern their members.

Hong Kong

The Foreign Correspondents' Club was founded in

Chongqing ChongqingPostal Romanization, Previously romanized as Chungking ();. is a direct-administered municipality in Southwestern China. Chongqing is one of the four direct-administered municipalities under the State Council of the People's Republi ...

in 1943 and moved to

from Shanghai in 1949. It is a club for the media, business and diplomatic community. Originally an expansive villa with hotel rooms located on the now-residential 41

Conduit Road Conduit Road () is a road in the Mid-Levels on Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. Road and buildings Conduit Road was constructed in 1910. It is located in Western Mid-Levels. It is named after the aqueduct passing underneath which carries water ...

, its current residence near

Lan Kwai Fong Lan Kwai Fong (Traditional Chinese characters, Chinese: 蘭桂坊), often abbreviated as LKF, is a small square of streets in Central, Hong Kong, Central, Hong Kong. The area was dedicated to Hawkers in Hong Kong, hawkers before the Secon ...

is a much humbler venue, housing a main bar, jazz bar, main restaurant, Chinese restaurant, health club, reading room, and work room. The FCC is a members-only club with membership claimed to range from the reporters, photographers and radio and television teams, the Chief Executive of the territory and leading figures in the worlds of business and diplomacy - although membership isn't exclusive to those in the media. When prominent international figures from the worlds of commerce, politics or entertainment visit Hong Kong, many choose to address the FCC's speaker lunches as the best means of reaching their desired audience - both directly and through media coverage of the events. In 2002, the club launched a charity ball featuring major musical acts that attracts attendees from across Asia. The ball raised millions to educate children from the

Po Leung Kuk The Po Leung Kuk, founded as the Society for the Protection of Women and Children, is a charitable organisation in Hong Kong that provides support for orphaned children, education and other services. History In the late 19th century, Ki ...

orphanage, though its last edition was in 2015.

India

The FCC in

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

has a long pedigree, having been founded in 1958 by correspondents covering the

Indian Subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...

from

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. It has more than 500 journalist members still covering as much of region as possible. New Delhi was and remains the natural locus of the subcontinent from the perspective of the press by virtue of being the capital of India, having extensive residential, schooling and entertainment options for families, and having the benefit of nonstop flights to dozens of cities in the subcontinent. Most correspondents of international media outlets tend to cover not only India but also all neighboring countries, including

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

Bhutan Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

, and

from a permanent base in New Delhi. In 1990, the FCC obtained its own premises on Mathura Road, a major thoroughfare, in New Delhi.

Indonesia

The Jakarta Foreign Correspondents Club (JFCC) is a non-profit organization for international journalists in

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

. The group regularly hosts luncheons with key newsmakers in Indonesia and topical panel discussions. Membership is open to non-journalists.

Japan

The

Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan (FCCJ) established in 1945 to provide support to foreign journalists working in Post-World War II Japan has historically been situated in the vicinity of Ginza, Tokyo. Today, the club offers a workroom fa ...

(FCCJ) was started in 1945 to provide infrastructure for foreign journalists working in post-

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. Historically, the club has been located in the area around the

Ginza Ginza ( ; ) is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, located south of Yaesu and Kyōbashi, Tokyo, Kyōbashi, west of Tsukiji, east of Yūrakuchō and Uchisaiwaichō, and north of Shinbashi. It is a popular upscale shopping area of Tokyo ...

. The club offers a workroom facility, a library, a restaurant, a bar, and a steady stream of local and international speakers and panels. It is a member's club but visiting correspondents are eligible for a 30-day membership. Long standing members are affectionately referred to within the club as "squirrels"; hence, the club itself is known as "Squirrel Corner".

Malaysia

The Foreign Correspondents Club of Malaysia is a non-profit organisation, established in 2011 to aid foreign correspondents working in

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

. The club organises regular briefings, debates and receptions with government officials, politicians, leading civil society figures, business leaders, analysts, academics and authors. The club also holds monthly social events. The FCCM includes members from all major foreign news media based in

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

. Associate members include journalists from the local media, foreign diplomats, government agency and trade office representatives, executives from the business community and non-government organisations.

Philippines

The Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines was established in 1974 in

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

and serves as the club for foreign correspondents in the country.

Singapore

The Foreign Correspondents Association of Singapore is a foreign journalist organization. Founded in 1956, it is not associated with the Foreign Correspondents' Clubs.

South Korea

The Seoul Foreign Correspondents’ Club (FCC) has about 500 members, including representatives of about 100 media organizations.

Taiwan

The Taiwan Foreign Correspondents' Club was founded in 1998 as a members-only club for foreign correspondents and representatives from local media outlets as well as government officials and businesspeople.

Thailand

The

Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand (FCCT; ) was founded in 1957 in Bangkok's Patpong area. It is considered the oldest and largest press club in Southeast Asia. After the Vietnam War ended in 1975, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam were mos ...

(FCCT) located in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

, has been an established press club for more than 50 years. FCCT website

References

External links

{{category commons
Foreign Press Association