Dinner With Daniels

The White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which takes place Saturday evening, has long walked the line between celebration and scrutiny, but this year’s event arrives under especially intense pressure.

As the political climate darkens and press freedoms face renewed challenges, WHCA president Eugene Daniels is steering the organization through a moment of reckoning.

In a Q&A with Status, Daniels spoke about why the group scrapped its traditional comedy act, what it means that no one from Donald Trump’s White House will be attending, and much more. He also reflected on the broader battle for access and how he plans to juggle his MSNBC hosting duties while leading the organization at this inflection point.

Below is the Q&A, lightly edited for style.

What should dinner attendees anticipate this year? The mood in Washington, after all, is quite grim these days.

They should expect a dinner that is a celebration of the First Amendment, a celebration of the work of the White House press corps. We are also zeroed in on the outstanding work of our award recipients and the future of quality journalism as represented by our scholarship students.

I hope people leave the dinner feeling inspired to double and triple down on the work we all do every day to keep the American people informed and to keep pushing for the ability to function independently and hold powerful people accountable on behalf of our readers, viewers and listeners.

This year is about creating a dinner that matches the mood of our members and changing a few traditions to do so. We feel very good about the experience we’re offering.

Amber Ruffin was dropped from the event. You’ve been fielding criticism by those who believe the WHCA caved to pressure from the White House. Can you explain how the WHCA board came to the decision to rescind Ruffin’s invitation?

I’ve heard more affirmation than criticism of that decision. And I won’t get into the deliberations of the board but the White House’s objections had nothing to do with our decision. We stand up to the White House all the time when they are wrong, like in kicking out the AP, or taking over the pool rotation, or getting rid of the wire position in the pool—and lots of other everyday access issues no one ever hears about. When it came to the dinner, it was clear to everyone on our board that to put on an event, at this moment, that is fully centered on our jobs as journalists, we needed to go the non-comedic route this year. It was a unanimous vote.

Will there be any surprise guests or speakers as part of this year’s dinner program, in replacement of Ruffin?