Helen Thomas’ comments were indefensible and the White House Correspondents’ Association℠ board firmly dissociates itself from them. Many in our profession who have known Helen for years were saddened by the comments, which were especially unfortunate in light of her role as a trail blazer on the White House beat.

While Helen has not been a member of the WHCA℠ for many years, her special status in the briefing room has helped solidify her as the dean of the White House press corps so we feel the need to speak out strongly on this matter.

We want to emphasize that the role of the WHCA℠ is to represent the White House press corps in its dealings with the White House on coverage-related issues. We do not police the speech of our members or colleagues. We are not involved at all in issuing White House credentials; that is the purview of the White House itself.

But the incident does revive the issue of whether it is appropriate  for an opinion columnist to have a front row seat in the WH briefing room. That is an issue under the jurisdiction of this board. We are actively seeking input from our association members on this important matter, and we have scheduled a special meeting of the WHCA℠ board on Thursday to decide on the seating issue.

Ed Chen, Bloomberg

David Jackson, USA Today

Caren Bohan, Reuters

Ed Henry, CNN

Julie Mason, DC Examiner

Don Gonyea, National Public Radio

Steve Scully, C-SPAN

Doug Mills, New York Times

The White House Correspondents’ Association℠ is distributing a record $132,500 to eighteen (18) journalism student from five prestigious universities, and will honor the recipients at its annual scholarship luncheon on Friday, April 30th .

Since 1991, the WHCA℠ has awarded nearly $360,000 in scholarship money to 42 graduating high school seniors and college-level students.   The success of this dinner allows members of the White House press corps to give back to the next generation of reporters.This year, the students will be recognized at a noon-time luncheon at the Atlantic Media offices, 600 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W., to be followed by a panel titled: “Press & the Presidency: A Front Row Seat to History.”Former White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry will moderate the discussion with five veterans of the White House press corps:

• Christina Bellantoni, Talking Points Memo
• Ron Brownstein, National Journal/ Atlantic Media
• Major Garrett, Fox News Channel
• Savannah Guthrie, NBC News
• Jennifer Loven, Associated Press

“This on-the-record forum will give these students a first-hand perspective on covering the presidency,” said Edwin Chen of Bloomberg News & President of WHCA.   “The session will also allow these new journalists to discuss how the press corps does its job in an era with new challenges of access, and at a time when our business is undergoing profound changes.” The scholarships are targeted in different ways. Columbia University’s grant allows a student from the Middle East to study here and return home to share the best standards of American journalism in that crucial region. At Northwestern, our scholars must demonstrate interest in reporting on government affairs. And at Missouri, the WHCA℠ scholarship program enables up to 10 students to attend its semester-long program in Washington.

For a full list of this year’s recipients, visit the SCHOLARSHIPS page