Journalists press WHCA to confront Trump at rescheduled dinner
A new letter urges the White House Correspondents’ Association to defend press freedom as Donald Trump prepares to attend Friday’s dinner.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
A group of veteran and former journalists is pushing the White House Correspondents’ Association to use its rescheduled dinner on Friday to challenge President Donald Trump directly over his administration’s treatment of the press.
The letter, organized by former ABC News correspondent Lisa Stark and executive producer Ian Cameron, renews a demand made before the original April dinner. Deadline reported that more than 500 veteran and former journalists backed that earlier appeal.
The April event at the Washington Hilton was cut short after a gunman allegedly tried to get into the ballroom by breaking through a security checkpoint. A Secret Service agent was hit in his protective vest by a bullet, according to Deadline. The suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, has pleaded not guilty to charges that include attempted assassination of the president.
In the new letter to the WHCA, the journalists say the administration’s actions against reporters have grown worse since that night. They point to Justice Department subpoenas involving New York Times journalists and their phone records, along with Trump’s threats against broadcasters.
The letter urges the WHCA to “forcefully stand up for freedom of the press” while Trump is present, publicly defend journalists he has attacked and resist what the signers describe as an administration effort to weaken the First Amendment.
The journalists cite subpoenas tied to New York Times reporting on security concerns involving the new Air Force One, a retrofitted 747 given by Qatar. The New York Times has condemned the subpoenas, according to the letter, saying the moves threaten press protections and could intimidate reporters.
The letter also points to action by the Federal Communications Commission involving ABC-owned stations. Deadline reported that the FCC ordered ABC stations to seek early license renewals, which ABC called a First Amendment threat. The FCC said the order related to an investigation into Disney’s diversity, equity and inclusion hiring practices. The move came after Trump called for ABC to fire Jimmy Kimmel over a joke.
Other examples listed by the journalists include Trump’s calls for ABC and NBC to lose broadcast licenses after they did not air a live prime-time address, his threat of jail time for reporters who refused to identify sources, and administration moves involving foreign journalist visas and Pentagon press access.
The letter also objects to Trump’s personal attacks on reporters, naming Jessica Tarlov, Norah O’Donnell, Rachel Scott, Akayla Gardner, Kaitlin Collins and Kristen Welker among journalists targeted in remarks cited by the signers.
WHCA President Weijia Jiang has said, according to the letter, that the dinner is meant to celebrate the First Amendment and the work of journalists who defend it. The signers argue the association should condemn the administration’s actions from the podium.
Organizations that signed the April letter included the Society for Professional Journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists, the National Association of Black Journalists, the National Press Photographers Association, the Freedom of the Press Foundation, the Coalition of Women in Journalism, the Radio Television Digital News Association and the Media & Democracy Project.
Friday’s dinner is set for a smaller venue at the Washington Hilton, according to Deadline. The program is expected to include remarks from Trump, awards and scholarships, and entertainment from Oz Pearlman. The WHCA also plans special awards for Secret Service officer Victor Gonzales and the Washington Hilton staff.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.