White House Correspondents' Association
Encyclopedia
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 in 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
. Among the issues handled by the WHCA are press access to the President and physical conditions in White House press briefing rooms.
of the White House
.
tradition and is usually attended by the President and Vice President
. Fifteen presidents have attended a 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.
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." In recent years the featured speaker has often been a comedian
, with the dinner taking on the form of a roast
, especially of the President.
In several recent years, the dinner has fallen shortly after major national events and tragedies, such as the Oklahoma City bombing
(1995), the Siege at Waco, Texas
(1993), the Columbine shooting (1999), and the Virginia Tech Massacre
(2007), thus dampening the spirit of the event. The 2010 edition saw news of an attempted bombing in Times Square. The 2011 edition came on the heels of the deadliest tornado outbreak
since 1925.. However, this event was followed immediately by the announcement that the United States Military had killed Osama Bin Laden
, and President Obama had even changed his own speech to reflect the operation, which he knew would soon be underway .
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 each year as the entertainers draw more interest, 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 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.
On April 13, 2010, WorldNetDaily
reported that a "...lawsuit has been filed in Washington accusing the White House Correspondents' Association..." of allegedly failing to designate appropriate 2010 dinner seating accommodations as per an alleged prior arrangement with WorldNetDaily.
White House Press Corps
The White House Press Corps is the group of journalists or correspondents usually stationed at the White House in Washington, D.C. to cover the president of the United States, White House events and news briefings. Their offices are located in the West Wing....
who cover the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
and the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
. The WHCA was founded in 1914 by journalists in response to an unfounded rumor that a Congressional
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
committee would select which journalists could attend press conferences of President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
. Among the issues handled by the WHCA are press access to the President and physical conditions in White House press briefing rooms.
Executives
The WHCA elects four officers and five board members from within its ranks once a year.- 2010-2011 Officers
- David Jackson of USA TodayUSA TodayUSA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, President - Caren Bohan of ReutersReutersReuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
, Vice President - Steve ScullySteve ScullySteven L. Scully is the senior executive producer, political editor, and host of C-SPAN's Washington Journal, a three-hour early morning cable television public affairs program.-Background:Scully was born in Erie, Pennsylvania, to Hubert L...
of C-SPANC-SPANC-SPAN , an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels , one radio station and a group of websites that provide streaming...
, Secretary - Doug Mills of The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, Treasurer
- David Jackson of USA Today
- 2010-2011 Board Members
- Carol Lee, Wall Street Journal
- Michael Scherer, Time Magazine
- Julie Mason, Politico
- Don GonyeaDon GonyeaDon Gonyea is an American journalist. He currently serves as the White House correspondent for National Public Radio's All Things Considered, Morning Edition, Weekend Edition, and Talk of the Nation programs....
, NPRNPRNPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting... - Ed HenryEd HenryEdward "Ed" Henry is the senior White House correspondent for Fox News Channel, and is based in the network's Washington, D.C. bureau. He was born in Queens, New York and lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland.-Background:...
, Fox News
Past Presidents
| Year | Name | Employer |
|---|---|---|
| Edwin Chen | Bloomberg | |
| Jennifer Loven | Associated Press | |
| Ann Compton | ABC News | |
| Steve Scully | C-SPAN | |
| Mark Smith | Associated Press TV and Radio | |
| Ron Hutcheson | Knight Ridder | |
| Carl Cannon | National Journal | |
| Bob Deans | Cox Newspapers | |
| Steve Holland | Reuters | |
| Arlene Dillon | CBS News | |
| Susan Page | USA Today | |
| Stewart Powell | Hearst Newspapers | |
| Laurence McQuillan | Reuters | |
| Terence Hunt | Associated Press | |
| Carl P. Leubsdorf | Dallas Morning News | |
| Kenneth T. Walsh | U.S. News and World Report | |
| George E. Condon Jr. | Copley News Service | |
| Karen Hosler | Baltimore Sun | |
| Charles Bierbauer | Cable News Network | |
| Robert M. Ellison | Sheridan Broadcasting | |
| Johanna Neuman | USA TODAY | |
| Jeremiah O'Leary | Washington Times | |
| Norman D. Sandler | United Press International | |
| Bill Plante | CBS News | |
| Gary F. Schuster | CBS News | |
| Sara Fritz | Los Angeles Times | |
| James R. Gerstenzang | Associated Press | |
| Thomas M. DeFrank | Newsweek | |
| Clifford Evans | RKO General Broadcasting | |
| Robert C. Pierpoint | CBS News | |
| Ralph Harris | Reuters | |
| Aldo Beckman | Chicago Tribune | |
| Paul F. Healy | New York Daily News | |
| Lawrence M. O'Rourke | Philadelphia Bulletin | |
| Helen Thomas | United Press International | |
| James Deakin | St. Louis Post-Dispatch | |
| Ted Knap | Scripps Howard Newspapers | |
| Edgar A. Poe | New Orleans Times-Picayune | |
| John P. Sutherland | U.S. News and World Report | |
| Peter Lisagor | Chicago Daily News | |
| Charles W. Bailey II | Minneapolis Tribune | |
| Carroll Kilpatrick | Washington Post | |
| Frank Cormier | Associated Press | |
| Robert E. Thompson | Hearst Newspapers | |
| Alan L. Otten | Wall Street Journal | |
| Merriman Smith | United Press International | |
| Robert Roth | Philadelphia Bulletin | |
| William H.Y. Knighton Jr. | Baltimore Sun | |
| Garnett D. Horner | Washington Star | |
| Marvin Arrowsmith | Associated Press | |
| Francis M. Stephenson | New York Daily News | |
| Laurence H. Burd | Chicago Tribune | |
| Anthony H. Leviero | New York Times | |
| Robert J. Donovan | New York Herald Tribune | |
| Carlton Kent | Chicago Sun-Times | |
| Robert G. Nixon | International News Service | |
| Ernest B. Vaccaro | Associated Press | |
| Felix Belair Jr. | New York Times | |
| Edward T. Folliard | Washington Post | |
| Joseph A. Fox | Washington Star | |
| Merriman Smith | United Press Associations | |
| Paul Wooten | New Orleans Times-Picayune | |
| Douglas B. Cornell | Associated Press | |
| John C. Henry | Washington Star | |
| John C. O'Brien | Philadelphia Inquirer | |
| Thomas F. Reynolds | United Press Associations | |
| Felix Belair Jr. | New York Times | |
| Earl Godwin | Washington Times | |
| Walter J. Trohan | Chicago Tribune | |
| Frederick J. Storm | United Press Associations | |
| Albert J. Warner | New York Herald Tribune | |
| Francis M. Stephenson | Associated Press | |
| George E. Durno | International News Service | |
| Paul R. Mallon | syndicated columnist | |
| Lewis Wood | New York Times | |
| Wilbur Forrest | New York Herald Tribune | |
| J. Russell Young | Washington Star | |
| John T. Lambert | Universal Service | |
| John Edwin Nevin | Washington Post | |
| George E. Durno | International News Service | |
| Isaac Gregg | New York Sun | |
| E. Ross Bartley | Associated Press | |
| J. Russell Young | Washington Star | |
| Frank R. Lamb | Washington Star | |
| W.W. Price | Washington Star |
White House Press Room
The WHCA is responsible for assigning seating in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room in the West WingWest Wing
The West Wing is the building housing the official offices of the President of the United States. It is the part of the White House Complex in which the Oval Office, the Cabinet Room, the Situation Room, and the Roosevelt Room are located...
of the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
.
White House Correspondents' Dinner
The WHCA's annual dinner, begun in 1920, has become a Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
tradition and is usually attended by the President and Vice President
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
. Fifteen presidents have attended a WHCA dinner, beginning with Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
in 1924. The dinner is traditionally held on the evening of the last Saturday in April at the Washington Hilton.
Prior to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the annual dinner featured singing between courses, a homemade movie and an hour-long, post-dinner show with big-name performers." In recent years the featured speaker has often been a comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, with the dinner taking on the form of a roast
Roast (comedy)
A roast is an event in which an individual is subjected to a public presentation of comedic insults, praise, outlandish true and untrue stories, and heartwarming tributes, the implication being that the roastee is able to take the jokes in good humor and not as serious criticism or insult, and...
, especially of the President.
In several recent years, the dinner has fallen shortly after major national events and tragedies, such as the Oklahoma City bombing
Oklahoma City bombing
The Oklahoma City bombing was a terrorist bomb attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. It was the most destructive act of terrorism on American soil until the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Oklahoma blast claimed 168 lives, including 19...
(1995), the Siege at Waco, Texas
Waco Siege
The Waco siege began on February 28, 1993, and ended violently 50 days later on April 19. The siege began when the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms attempted to execute a search warrant at the Branch Davidian ranch at Mount Carmel, a property located east-northeast of Waco,...
(1993), the Columbine shooting (1999), and the Virginia Tech Massacre
Virginia Tech massacre
The Virginia Tech massacre was a school shooting that took place on April 16, 2007, on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States. In two separate attacks, approximately two hours apart, the perpetrator, Seung-Hui Cho, killed 32 people...
(2007), thus dampening the spirit of the event. The 2010 edition saw news of an attempted bombing in Times Square. The 2011 edition came on the heels of the deadliest tornado outbreak
April 25–28, 2011 tornado outbreak
An extremely large and violent tornado outbreak, the largest tornado outbreak ever recorded, and popularly known as the 2011 Super Outbreak, occurred from April 25 to 28, 2011. The outbreak affected the Southern, Midwestern, and Northeastern United States, leaving catastrophic destruction in...
since 1925.. However, this event was followed immediately by the announcement that the United States Military had killed Osama Bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
, and President Obama had even changed his own speech to reflect the operation, which he knew would soon be underway .
The Merriman Smith Memorial Award
Awarded for outstanding examples of deadline reporting.| Year | Recipient | Distinction | Employer | Notes & Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Gary Nurenberg | Broadcast | KTLA-Tribune Broadcasting KTLA KTLA, virtual channel 5, is a television station in Los Angeles, California, USA. Owned by the Tribune Company, KTLA is an affiliate of the CW Television Network. KTLA's studios are on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson... |
|
| Jodi Enda | Knight-Ridder Newspapers | |||
| 2001 | Jim Angle Jim Angle James Leslie Angle, Jr. is an American journalist and television reporter for Fox News.He has a Masters Degree from the University of Texas and served in the US Military in Germany and Vietnam.... |
Broadcast | Fox News Channel Fox News Channel Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation... |
|
| Sandra Sobieraj | Associated Press Associated Press The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists... |
|||
| 2002 | Peter Maer | Broadcast | CBS News CBS News CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main... |
|
| Ron Fournier Ron Fournier Ron Fournier is an American national political journalist currently of the National Journal. In June, 2010 Fournier left the Associated Press where he served as Washington bureau chief.... |
Associated Press | |||
| 2003 | Jim Angle | Broadcast | Fox News Channel | |
| David Sanger David E. Sanger David E. Sanger is the Chief Washington Correspondent for The New York Times. A 1982 graduate of Harvard College, Sanger has been writing for the Times for over 26 years covering foreign policy, globalization, nuclear proliferation, and the presidency... |
The New York Times The New York Times The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization... |
|||
| 2004 | Mike Allen Michael Allen (journalist) Michael Allen is the chief political reporter for Politico, and writes the daily Playbook; in April 2010, the New York Times called him "The Man The White House Wakes Up To."... |
The Washington Post The Washington Post The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation... |
||
| 2005 | Ron Fournier | Associated Press | ||
| Jackie Calmes | Wall Street Journal | Honorable Mention | ||
| 2006 | Terry Moran Terry Moran Terry Moran is the co-anchor of Nightline.-Biography:Moran was born in Chicago, Illinois. He graduated from Lawrence University in 1982.-Professional career:-Career as Correspondent:... |
Broadcast | ABC News ABC News ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company... |
|
| Deb Riechmann | Associated Press | |||
| 2007 | Martha Raddatz Martha Raddatz Martha Raddatz is an American reporter with ABC News . She currently serves as the network's Chief Foreign Correspondent. She reports for ABC's World News with Diane Sawyer, Nightline, and other network broadcasts. In addition to her work for ABC News, Raddatz has written for The New Republic and... |
Broadcast | ABC News | |
| David Sanger | The New York Times |
The Aldo Beckman Memorial Award
Awarded for journalistic excellence.| Year | Recipient | Employer | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Jeanne Cummings | Wall Street Journal | |
| 2001 | Steve Thomma | Knight Ridder Knight Ridder Knight Ridder was an American media company, specializing in newspaper and Internet publishing. Until it was bought by The McClatchy Company on June 27, 2006, it was the second-largest newspaper publisher in the United States, with 32 daily newspapers sold.- History :The corporate ancestors of... |
|
| 2002 | Anne E. Kornblut | The Boston Globe The Boston Globe The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993... |
|
| 2003 | Dana Milbank Dana Milbank -Biography:He is a graduate of Yale University, where he was a member of Trumbull College, the Progressive Party of the Yale Political Union and the secret society Skull and Bones. He is a graduate of Sanford H. Calhoun High School in Merrick, New York... |
The Washington Post The Washington Post The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation... |
|
| 2004 | David Sanger | The New York Times The New York Times The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization... |
|
| 2005 | Susan Page Susan Page Susan Page is an American journalist and the current Washington Bureau Chief for USA Today. She has won several awards for her work, including the Merriman Smith Memorial Award, the Aldo Beckman Memorial Award, the Gerald R... |
USA Today USA Today USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003... |
|
| 2006 | Carl Cannon | National Journal National Journal National Journal is a nonpartisan American weekly magazine that reports on the current political environment and emerging political and policy trends. National Journal was first published in 1969. Times Mirror owned the magazine from 1986 to 1997, when it was purchased by David G. Bradley... |
|
| 2007 | Kenneth T. Walsh | U.S. News & World Report U.S. News & World Report U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories... |
The Edgar A. Poe Memorial Award
Awarded for excellence on a story of national or regional significance.| Year | Recipient | Employer | Notes & Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Sam Roe | The Toledo Blade | |
| 2001 | Elizabeth Marchak, Dave Davis and Joan Mazzolini | The Plain Dealer | |
| John Barry and Evan Thomas | Newsweek Newsweek Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence... |
Honorable Mention | |
| David Pace | Associated Press Associated Press The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists... |
Honorable Mention | |
| 2002 | Evan Thomas Evan Thomas Evan Welling Thomas III is an American journalist and author. He currently teaches journalism at Princeton University.-Life and career:Thomas was born in Huntington, New York and was raised in Cold Spring Harbor, New York... and Mark Hosenball Mark Hosenball Mark Hosenball is an investigative correspondent at Newsweek. He started there in November 1993, after working at Dateline NBC as an investigative producer. He also worked at The Sunday Times, the Evening Standard, Time Out, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The New Republic... , & Martha Brant and Roy Gutman Roy Gutman Roy Gutman is an American journalist and author.In 1966, Gutman graduated from Haverford College with a major in History. In 1968, Gutman graduated from the London School of Economics with a masters degree in International Relations.Roy Gutman joined Newsday in January 1982 and served for eight... |
Newsweek | |
| Staff | The Seattle Times The Seattle Times The Seattle Times is a newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, US. It is the largest daily newspaper in the state of Washington. It has been, since the demise in 2009 of the printed version of the rival Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle's only major daily print newspaper.-History:The Seattle Times... |
Honorable Mention | |
| Staff | The Dayton Daily News | Honorable Mention | |
| 2003 | Sean Naylor Sean Naylor Sean Naylor is a senior writer for Army Times, which is owned by Gannett Company. Born in Calgary, Canada to British parents, Naylor earned a master's degree in international relations in 1990 from Boston University. He then joined Army Times.... |
Army Times Army Times Army Times is a weekly newspaper serving active, reserve, guard and retired United States Army personnel and their families, providing news, information and analysis as well as community and lifestyle features, educational supplements, and resource guides.Army Times is published by the Gannett... |
|
| Staff | South Florida Sun-Sentinel | Honorable Mention | |
| Michael Berens | Chicago Tribune Chicago Tribune The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is... |
Honorable Mention | |
| 2004 | Russell Corollo and Mei-ling Hopgood | Dayton Daily News | |
| Christopher H. Schmitt and Edward T. Pound | U.S. News & World Report U.S. News & World Report U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories... |
Honorable Mention | |
| Michael Hudson | Southern Exposure Magazine | Honorable Mention | |
| Warren P. Strobel and Jonathan S. Landy | Knight Ridder Knight Ridder Knight Ridder was an American media company, specializing in newspaper and Internet publishing. Until it was bought by The McClatchy Company on June 27, 2006, it was the second-largest newspaper publisher in the United States, with 32 daily newspapers sold.- History :The corporate ancestors of... |
Honorable Mention | |
| Rod Nordland and Michael Hirsh | Newsweek | Honorable Mention | |
| Sami Yousafzai, Ron Moreau, and Michael Hirsh | Newsweek | Honorable Mention | |
| Fareed Zakaria Fareed Zakaria Fareed Rafiq Zakaria is an Indian-American journalist and author. From 2000 to 2010, he was a columnist for Newsweek and editor of Newsweek International. In 2010 he became Editor-At-Large of Time magazine... |
Newsweek | Honorable Mention | |
| 2005 | Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams Lance Williams Lance J. Williams is a prominent graphics researcher who made major contributions to texture map prefiltering, shadow rendering algorithms, facial animation, and antialiasing techniques... |
The San Francisco Chronicle | |
| Donald Bartlett and James Steele | Time Magazine Time (magazine) Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong... |
Honorable Mention | |
| 2006 | Marcus Stern and Jerry Kammer | Copley News Service | |
| Staff | Time Magazine | Honorable Mention | |
| Russell Carollo and Larry Kaplow | Dayton Daily News | Honorable Mention | |
| 2007 | Joan Ryan Joan Ryan Joan Marie Ryan is a politician in the United Kingdom. She was member of Parliament for Enfield North between 1997 and 2010, and is a member of the Labour Party. She had previously been deputy leader of Barnet Council.... |
The San Francisco Chronicle | |
| 2008 | Paul Shukovsky, Tracy Johnson, and Daniel Lathrop | Seattle Post-Intelligencer | |
| 2009 | Sandra Sobieraj Westfall | People magazine | |
| David Greene | National Public Radio | ||
| 2010 | Suzanne Bohan and Sandy Kleffman | Contra Costa, California, Times |
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
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
Frank Rich
Frank Rich
Frank Rich is an American essayist and op-ed columnist who wrote for The New York Times from 1980, when he was appointed its chief theatre critic, until 2011...
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 each year as the entertainers draw more interest, 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 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.
On April 13, 2010, WorldNetDaily
WorldNetDaily
WorldNetDaily is an American web site that publishes news and associated content from a U.S. conservative perspective. It was founded in May 1997 by Joseph Farah with the stated intent of "exposing wrongdoing, corruption and abuse of power" and is headquartered in Washington, D.C.-History:In...
reported that a "...lawsuit has been filed in Washington accusing the White House Correspondents' Association..." of allegedly failing to designate appropriate 2010 dinner seating accommodations as per an alleged prior arrangement with WorldNetDaily.
Performers
| Year | |
|---|---|
| 1945 | Performers included Frank Sinatra Frank Sinatra Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the... , Danny Thomas Danny Thomas Danny Thomas was an American nightclub comedian and television and film actor, best known for starring in the television sitcom Make Room for Daddy . He was also the founder of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital... , Jimmy Durante Jimmy Durante James Francis "Jimmy" Durante was an American singer, pianist, comedian and actor. His distinctive clipped gravelly speech, comic language butchery, jazz-influenced songs, and large nose helped make him one of America's most familiar and popular personalities of the 1920s through the 1970s... , Fanny Brice Fanny Brice Fanny Brice was a popular and influential American illustrated song "model," comedienne, singer, theatre and film actress, who made many stage, radio and film appearances and is known as the creator and star of the top-rated radio comedy series, The Baby Snooks Show... and Danny Kaye Danny Kaye Danny Kaye was a celebrated American actor, singer, dancer, and comedian... . |
| 1969 | President Richard Nixon Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under... personally requested the Disneyland Golden Horseshoe Revue. |
| 1976 | The dinner featured Bob Hope Bob Hope Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel... as emcee and Chevy Chase Chevy Chase Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase is an American comedian, writer, and television and film actor, born into a prominent entertainment industry family. Chase worked a plethora of odd jobs before moving into comedy acting with National Lampoon... . When President Ford Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974... rose to speak, he caught a tablecloth in his trousers, causing silverware to fall in Chase's lap. He also pretended to trip as he approached the podium, flinging pages he was carrying into the audience—he then began his speech with "Good evening. I'm Gerald Ford and you're not" (a reference to Chase's catchphrase from Weekend Update). |
| 1985 | Rich Little Rich Little Richard Caruthers "Rich" Little is a Canadian-American impressionist and voice actor. He has long been known throughout the world as a top impersonator of famous people, resulting in his nickname, "The Man of a Thousand Voices".... and President Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor.... in a dual press conference skit. |
| 1988 | Yakov Smirnoff Yakov Smirnoff Yakov Naumovich Pokhis , better known as Yakov Smirnoff, is a Ukrainian-born American comedian, painter and teacher. He was popular in the 1980s for comedy performances in which he used irony and word play to contrast life under the Communist regime in his native Soviet Union with life in the... |
| 1989 | Jim Morris (Impressionist) |
| 1991 | Sinbad Sinbad (entertainer) David Adkins better known by his professional name of Sinbad, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He became well known in the 1990s from being featured on his own HBO specials, appearing on several television series, and starring in the films Necessary Roughness, Houseguest, First Kid,... |
| 1993 | Elayne Boosler Elayne Boosler Elayne Boosler is an American comedian.Boosler was born and raised in Brooklyn, the youngest child and only daughter of a Russian-acrobat father and a Romanian-ballerina mother... |
| 1994 | Al Franken Al Franken Alan Stuart "Al" Franken is the junior United States Senator from Minnesota. He is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which affiliates with the national Democratic Party.... |
| 1995 | Conan O'Brien Conan O'Brien Conan Christopher O'Brien is an American television host, comedian, writer, producer and performer. Since November 2010 he has hosted Conan, a late-night talk show that airs on the American cable television station TBS.... |
| 1996 | Al Franken Al Franken Alan Stuart "Al" Franken is the junior United States Senator from Minnesota. He is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which affiliates with the national Democratic Party.... |
| 1997 | Jon Stewart Jon Stewart Jon Stewart is an American political satirist, writer, television host, actor, media critic and stand-up comedian... |
| 1998 | Ray Romano Ray Romano Raymond Albert "Ray" Romano is an American actor, writer and stand-up comedian, best known for his roles on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond and in the Ice Age film series. He recently starred in the TNT comedy-drama Men of a Certain Age.-Early life:Romano was born in Queens, New York to Italian... |
| 1999 | Aretha Franklin Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All... , entertainment (NBC's Brian Williams Brian Williams Brian Douglas Williams is the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News, the evening news program of the NBC television network, a position he assumed in 2004... in skit) |
| 2000 | Outgoing President Bill Clinton Bill Clinton William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation... mocked himself in the short film President Clinton: The Final Days, which depicted him as a lonely man closing down a nearly deserted White House White House The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical... , riding a bicycle, and learning about the Internet Internet The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide... with the help of actor Mike Maronna Mike Maronna Michael C. "Mike" Maronna is an American actor who has appeared in several television programs and films. He is best known for his role as "Big Pete" on the TV show The Adventures of Pete & Pete.-Early life:... as his character Stuart. |
| 2001 | Darrell Hammond Darrell Hammond Darrell Hammond is an American actor, stand-up comedian and impressionist. He was a regular on Saturday Night Live from 1995 until 2009, the longest tenure of any cast member. Upon his departure, Hammond, at age 53, was the oldest cast member in the show's history... and Survivor Survivor (TV series) Survivor is a reality television game show format produced in many countries throughout the world. In the show, contestants are isolated in the wilderness and compete for cash and other prizes. The show uses a system of progressive elimination, allowing the contestants to vote off other tribe... spoof |
| 2002 | Drew Carey Drew Carey Drew Allison Carey is an American actor, singer, comedian, photographer, sports executive, and game show host. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and making a name for himself in stand-up comedy, Carey eventually gained popularity starring on his own sitcom, The Drew Carey Show, and serving as... |
| 2003 | Ray Charles Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records... , entertainment |
| 2004 | Jay Leno Jay Leno James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host.From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ,... |
| 2005 | Cedric the Entertainer Cedric the Entertainer Cedric Antonio Kyles , known professionally by his stage name Cedric the Entertainer, is an American actor, comedian and director... , Lewis Black Lewis Black Lewis Niles Black is an American stand-up comedian, author, playwright, social critic and actor. He is known for his comedy style, which often includes simulating a mental breakdown, or an increasingly angry rant, ridiculing history, politics, religion, trends and cultural phenomena... , plus some jokes by First Lady Laura Bush Laura Bush Laura Lane Welch Bush is the wife of the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush. She was the First Lady of the United States from January 20, 2001, to January 20, 2009. She has held a love of books and reading since childhood and her life and education have reflected that interest... . |
| 2006 | The 2006 dinner attracted substantial media attention due to featured speaker Stephen Colbert Stephen Colbert Stephen Tyrone Colbert is an American political satirist, writer, comedian, television host, and actor. He is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.Colbert originally studied to be an... 's satire of a right-wing Right-wing politics In politics, Right, right-wing and rightist generally refer to support for a hierarchical society justified on the basis of an appeal to natural law or tradition. To varying degrees, the Right rejects the egalitarian objectives of left-wing politics, claiming that the imposition of equality is... cable television pundit. Several of Bush's aides and supporters walked out during Colbert's speech, and one former aide said that the President had "that look that he's ready to blow." |
| 2007 | The 2007 dinner took place on April 21, 2007. Entertainment was provided by impersonator Rich Little Rich Little Richard Caruthers "Rich" Little is a Canadian-American impressionist and voice actor. He has long been known throughout the world as a top impersonator of famous people, resulting in his nickname, "The Man of a Thousand Voices".... , with David Letterman David Letterman David Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC... appearing by video with a Top 10 list of "favorite George W. Bush moments." |
| 2008 | The performer in 2008 was Scottish Scotland Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the... -American United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... comedian Craig Ferguson Craig Ferguson Craig Ferguson is a Scottish American television host, stand-up comedian, writer, actor, director, author, and producer. He is the host of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, an Emmy Award-nominated, Peabody Award-winning late-night talk show that airs on CBS... , host of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson is a Peabody Award-winning American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish American comedian Craig Ferguson. Ferguson, the third regular host of the Late Late Show franchise, follows Late Show with David Letterman in the CBS late-night lineup... . |
| 2009 | The 2009 WHCA Dinner took place on May 9 at the Washington Hilton. Wanda Sykes Wanda Sykes Wanda Sykes is an American writer, stand-up comedian, actress, and voice artist. She earned the 1999 Emmy Award for her writing on The Chris Rock Show. In 2004 Entertainment Weekly named Sykes as one of the 25 funniest people in America... was the featured entertainer. |
| 2010 | Jay Leno Jay Leno James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host.From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ,... hosted the 2010 dinner on May 2. The choice of Leno was somewhat controversial in light of the recent Tonight Show conflict 2010 Tonight Show conflict In early 2010, American television network NBC and two of its late-night talk show hosts, Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno, engaged in a media and public relations conflict over the host and airtime of The Tonight Show, the network's long-running late night program... that propelled Leno back to his old show. However, he was asked to host several weeks before The Jay Leno Show The Jay Leno Show The Jay Leno Show is an American comedy show created by and starring Jay Leno, that aired from September 14, 2009 to February 9, 2010 on NBC following the May 29, 2009 conclusion of Leno's first tenure as host of The Tonight Show... was cancelled. Leno's usage of recycled jokes was noted by critics. |
| 2011 | The 2011 WHCA took place on April 30 at the Washington Hilton. Seth Meyers Seth Meyers Seth Adam Meyers is an American actor and comedian. He currently serves as head writer for Saturday Night Live and hosts its news parody segment Weekend Update.-Early life:... was the featured entertainer, and highlights included his own and President Barack Obama Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in... 's jokes mocking Donald Trump Donald Trump Donald John Trump, Sr. is an American business magnate, television personality and author. He is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Trump's extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner and role on the NBC reality show The Apprentice have... (who was present at the dinner) about his remarks questioning Obama's citizenship and Trump's presidential candidacy in 2012, as well as a joke about where Osama Bin Laden Osama bin Laden Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets... had been hiding Death of Osama bin Laden Osama bin Laden, then head of the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda, was killed in Pakistan on May 2, 2011, shortly after 1 a.m. local time by a United States special forces military unit.... , one day before Bin Laden was killed. |
See also
- Gridiron ClubGridiron ClubThe Gridiron Club and Foundation, founded in 1885, is the oldest and one of the most prestigious journalistic organizations in Washington, D.C. Its 65 active members represent major newspapers, news services, news magazines and broadcast networks. Membership is by invitation only and has...
- National Press Club
- Radio and Television Correspondents' AssociationRadio and Television Correspondents' AssociationThe Radio and Television Correspondents Association is an American journalism group best known for holding an annual dinner in Washington, D.C., not to be confused with the higher profile White House Correspondents' Association Dinner.-Officers:...
External links
- White House Correspondents' Association
- White House Correspondents' Association Dinner complete coverage at C-SPANC-SPANC-SPAN , an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels , one radio station and a group of websites that provide streaming...