I received the following announcement via e-mail:

EXPERTS TO DISCUSS 527 IMPACT ON 2004 ELECTIONS
Washington, December 1, 2004 – The Center for Public Integrity and the Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy at Brigham Young University will hold a joint news conference and discussion on Thursday, December 16 at 10 a.m. in the Holeman Lounge of the National Press Club.
The subject of the news conference will be: The 527 phenomenon: Its impact on the 2004 election.
Specific issues to be addressed are:
* What impact did 527s have on the 2004 election
* How effective were the messages of the 527s
* How did the 2004 election differ from previous elections in terms of 527s
* What is the future of 527s
The Center for Public Integrity will present an analysis of the 2003-04 election cycle, including the final reports filed in early December. The findings are based on the Center’s database, which includes all four years in which 527s have been required to file.
The Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy will present findings from its research on the 2004 election, focusing on the strategies of the 527 organizations and the effectiveness of their messages and advertising.
Participants will be Charles Lewis, executive director, and Aron Pilhofer, database editor, of the Center for Public Integrity; and David Magleby, senior research fellow at the Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy.
For more information about the media conference, contact Ann Pincus at (202) 481-1234 or Nathan Kommers at (202) 481-1221; to reach Dr. Magleby, call Adam Segal at (202) 422-4673.