The National Press Foundation on Friday thanked John Walcott for 15 years of service on its board of directors. Walcott announced his retirement from the board, having served since 2008.

“John has been a mainstay of the NPF board for many years. He has brought wisdom, creativity, diligence and good humor, and we have been the better for it,” said Kathy Gest of the NPF board executive committee. “His vast experience in journalism and his dedication to its importance in our democracy have set an example for all of those who have worked with him and benefited from NPF programs. We will miss his guiding hand but we are grateful for his many contributions through the years.”

Walcott was an editor at Thomson Reuters, Bloomberg, U.S. News & World Report and a contributing editor for Time; he was editor-in-chief at SmartBrief and Washington Bureau Chief for McClatchy and Knight Ridder. It was in his role as bureau chief that his team’s coverage of the Bush administration’s allegations of weapons of mass destruction drew widespread recognition. Rob Reiner depicted Walcott in the 2018 movie Shock and Awe about what led to the Iraq invasion.

Walcott is a multi-award-winning journalist, including the inaugural winner of the I.F. Stone Medal for Journalistic Independence from the Nieman Foundation at Harvard. He is also co-author of the book “Best Laid Plans: The Inside Story of America’s War Against Terrorism.”

“I am so grateful for John’s contributions to the National Press Foundation – and journalism more broadly. It was such an honor to have him on our board,” said NPF President Anne Godlasky. “His legacy reflects the highest standards of our profession.”

The National Press Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 1976 whose mission is to “make good journalists better” by providing free, on-the-record training on complex issues of the day.