Founded on February 25, 1914 during President Woodrow Wilson’s presidency, the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) is an organization whose members are journalists who cover the activity of both the White House and the President of the United States himself. Since its creation, the WHCA has focused on effective and accurate coverage of the Executive Branch of the U.S. government.
The organization is the most famous for its annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner which was traditionally attended by the current President along with journalists representing their respective publications.
Until 1962, the dinner was exclusively attended by men although many of the WHCA members were women. so President John F. Kennedy abstained from attending from attending and rejected his invitation until women were finally permitted. Although some of the annual dinners were cancelled due to extreme situations such as World War II and President Ronald Reagan’s recovery from an attempted assassination, it wasn’t until 2017, on April 29, when President Donald Trump became the first president to intentionally skipped the dinner.
With the absence of President Trump, the headlining acts and attending journalists dedicated the night to addressing this year in journalism and the discussion of the freedom of the press. Since day one, President Trump has criticized major publications for their supposed lack of credibility and essentially for being “fake news.” In a message to the President himself, Associate President Jeff Mason said, “We are not fake news. We are not failing news organizations. And we are not the enemy of the American people.” President Trump’s relationship with the press is a troubled one, and his presidency will forever be remembered for his lack of trust for the media.
Historically, the White House Correspondents’ Dinner was, in essence, a time to roast the president and his administration. So to continue the tradition, in the most notable speech of the night, Comedy Central’s Hasan Minhaj dedicated his monologue to directly attacking President Trump’s absence. But all jokes aside, the purpose of the dinner is to celebrate the unique opportunity Americans have when it comes to the First Amendment and free speech.
I found it interesting that the WHCA was founded shortly before the involvement of the US in World War I. Pro-US and anti-central power propaganda was widespread during the war, and it is interesting to see an organization intended to provide accurate media coverage founded shortly before the war.
ReplyDeleteI like this post because it talks about something politics-related that normally both parties can enjoy. The WHCD is insignificant, but it helps shape people's views on the president as more positive. Obama's charismatic, laid-back personality became known due to the WHCD, where he cracked jokes, improving people's views of him.
ReplyDeleteNice post! I really liked how you explained the history of the White House Correspondents' Association and how the White House Correspondents' Dinner came to be. It's also really interesting to learn about the segregation throughout the history of the WHCD and how Kennedy would refuse his invitation until they allowed women to join.
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