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No celebrities, but a clear message at this year’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner

Poynter · Tom Jones · last updated

The White House Correspondents’ Association had its annual dinner on Saturday night. It’s usually a star-studded evening with a who’s who of celebrities and politicians, including the president. But this year was nothing like that.

President Donald Trump skipped the event (as he did all four times during his first presidency), along with many other big names. The scheduled featured speaker — comedian and writer Amber Ruffin — was canceled last month following critical remarks of the Trump administration during a podcast.

WHCA president Eugene Daniels told the audience, “It’s just us,” referring to journalists.

Related Knowledge Center: The White House vs. the press

State of Play

Whether it’s the Des Moines Register’s publication of an unfavorable election poll, a routine edit of a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris, or the Associated Press’s decision in its authoritative stylebook to continue to use “Gulf of Mexico,” Donald Trump and the White House have used executive authority and legal reprisals in an effort to punish and suppress press coverage that runs contrary to the administration’s preferred narratives.

Democracy and politics | Signalgate | The CBS submission | Voiceless America


More informationabout The White House vs. the press

Related Knowledge Center: Free speech and public protest

State of Play

The First Amendment is facing challenging times: Crackdowns on campus protests prompted both-sides claims of intolerance. Attempts to head off dangerous health misinformation have been characterized as violations of free speech. Donald Trump is publicly punishing news outlets that deviate from his administration’s version of events while privately suing some outlets into submission.

The White House vs. the press  |  Voiceless America 


More informationabout Free speech and public protest