The White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) is an organization of journalists who cover the White House and the President of the United States. The WHCA was founded on February 25, 1914, by journalists in response to an unfounded rumor that a Congressional committee would select which journalists could attend press conferences of President Woodrow Wilson.
The WHCA operates independently of the White House. Among the more notable issues handled by the WHCA are the credentialing process, access to the President and physical conditions in the White House press briefing rooms.
Executives
The WHCA elects four officers and five board members from within its ranks once a year.
- 2014â€"2015 Officers
- President: Christi Parsons, Tribune Company
- Vice President: Carol Lee, Wall Street Journal
- Secretary: Scott Horsley, [NPR Radio]
- Treasurer: Margaret Talev, Bloomberg News
- 2013â€"2014 Board Members
- Major Garrett, [CBS News, television]
- Olivier Knox, [Yahoo! News, periodicals]
- Doug Mills, [New York Times, photography]
- Todd Gillman, [Dallas Morning News, newspaper]
- Jeff Mason, [Reuters, at large]
- George Lehner, [Pepper Hamilton]
- Steven Thomma, [McClatchy; emeritus]
Past Presidents
White House Press Room
The WHCA is responsible for assigning seating in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room in the West Wing of the White House.
White House Correspondents' Dinner
The WHCA's annual dinner, begun in 1920, has become a Washington, D.C. tradition and is usually attended by the President and Vice President. Fifteen presidents have attended at least one WHCA dinner, beginning with Calvin Coolidge in 1924. The dinner is traditionally held on the evening of the last Saturday in April at the Washington Hilton.
Until 1962, the dinner was open only to men, even though WHCA's membership included women. At the urging of Helen Thomas, President John F. Kennedy refused to attend the dinner unless the ban on women was dropped.
Prior to World War II, the annual dinner featured singing between courses, a homemade movie and an hour-long, post-dinner show with big-name performers. Since 1983, however, the featured speaker has usually been a comedian, with the dinner taking on the form of a roast of the President and his administration.
The Dinner is a scholarship benefit for gifted students in college journalism programs.
Many annual dinners were cancelled or downsized due to deaths or political crises. The dinner was cancelled in 1930 due to the death of former president William Howard Taft; in 1942, following the United States' entry into World War II; and in 1951, over what President Truman called the "uncertainty of the world situation."
Dinner criticisms
The WHCD has been increasingly criticized as an example of the coziness between the White House press corps and the Administration. The dinner typically includes a skit, either live or videotaped, by the sitting President in which he mocks himself, for the amusement of the press corps. The press corps, in turn, hobnobs with Administration officials, even those who are unpopular and are not regularly cooperative with the press. Increasing scrutiny by bloggers has contributed to added public focus on this friendliness.
After the 2007 dinner, New York Times columnist Frank Rich implied that the Times will no longer participate in the dinners. Rich said that the event is "a crystallization of the press's failures in the post-9/11 era" because it "illustrates how easily a propaganda-driven White House can enlist the Washington news media in its shows."
In recent years, the dinners have drawn increasing public attention, and the guest list grows "more Hollywood". The attention given to the guest list and entertainers often overshadows the intended purpose of the dinner, which is to "acknowledge award-winners, present scholarships, and give the press and the president an evening of friendly appreciation." This has led to an atmosphere of coming to the event only to "see and be seen." This usually takes place at pre-dinner receptions and post-dinner parties hosted by various media organizations, which are often a bigger draw and can be more exclusive than the dinners themselves.
Performers
Awards
The Merriman Smith Memorial Award
Awarded for outstanding examples of deadline reporting.
The Aldo Beckman Memorial Award
Awarded for journalistic excellence.
The Edgar A. Poe Memorial Award
Awarded for excellence on a story of national or regional significance.
See also
- Gridiron Club
- National Press Club
- Parliamentary Press Gallery
- Radio and Television Correspondents' Association
References
External links
- White House Correspondents' Association
- White House Correspondents' Association Dinner complete coverage at C-SPAN
- Barack Obama Roasts Donald Trump At White House Correspondents' Association Dinner