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History of MNI

Sometime before 1944, Gladys Rae Swank came back to Idaho from a meeting in Chicago with the press women who had established the nucleus of the National Press Women in 1937. She was enthusiastic about the benefits of such a network for the professional women of Idaho and Washington.

By letter and in person, she got in touch with a far flung group who wrote for a variety of print publications. Through letters, telephone calls and meetings during the war years of 1942 and 1943, Gladys and Clair Goldsmith brought together women from north, south, east and west Idaho. In October 1944 the Idaho Press Women became an official entity.

There were 31 charter members.

In 2006, members voted to change the name from Idaho Press Women to Media Network Idaho to appeal to men as well as women, and to reflect the broader spectrum of members' involvement in the media.

Idaho has since hosted the NFPW national convention twice, once in Sun Valley and once in Coeur d'Alene (1989). Idaho will again host the national conference in September 2008 in Idaho Falls.