New York has three major press clubs for the city’s legions of journalists, whether working, retired, or somewhere in between: the Deadline Club, the New York Press Club, and the Society of the Silurians. The last one is the oldest and its members skew oldest, a reputation they enthusiastically lean into—the Silurian period occurred roughly 400 million years ago and marked the first time invertebrates walked on land.
When they started the club in Greenwich Village in 1924, the founders chose the name to show they’d been around for a while. Early members (it was initially men only) included William Randolph Hearst, Lincoln Steffens, and John Steinbeck. Today, the group hosts monthly luncheons—recent guest speakers have included Trump nemesis E. Jean Carroll; Maggie Haberman, of The New York Times; and AIR MAIL co-founder Graydon Carter—and annual awards dinners. Though the average age of the group is over 70, the Silurians tend to be modern and forward-looking when it comes to bestowing awards. This year’s President’s Choice Award went to the City Reporter, a relatively new nonprofit outfit, for its aggressive coverage of the dismal conditions for detained immigrants in Federal Plaza in Manhattan.