Category: WHCA Statement

“An Assault on the First Amendment”

Posted on by Steve Thomma

“At a moment when the world already has watched an assault on our democratic institutions, the Trump administration has chosen to send another message – with an assault on the First Amendment. It did so at the Voice of America, a taxpayer-supported service tasked by Congress with broadcasting uncensored journalism to the world to demonstrate freedoms – particularly freedom of the press – that the United States hopes all nations will emulate. VOA’s reassignment of Patsy Widakuswara for doing her job, asking questions, is an affront to the very ideals Secretary of State Pompeo discussed in his speech Monday. The move, mere hours before Widakuswara was to fly with the president as a member of the travel pool on Air Force One, harms the interests of all Americans who depend on the free press to learn about the actions of their government and gives comfort to efforts to restrict press freedom around the world.”

–Zeke Miller, president, White House Correspondents’ Association, on behalf of the board of the WHCA

WHCA Announces New Scholarship With NAHJ

Posted on by Steve Thomma

The White House Correspondents’ Association is pleased to announce the creation of a new scholarship in partnership with the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

“The White House Correspondents’ Association is excited to begin this partnership with NAHJ, as we look to foster the next generation of journalists that reflects the diversity of the nation,” said Zeke Miller, president of the WHCA.

The new scholarship adds to partnerships the association already has with 10 universities around the United States. They are American University, Arizona State University, Columbia University, Howard University, Northwestern University, Ohio University, the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Kansas, the University of Maryland and the University of Missouri.

The WHCA also honors an independently financed scholarship recipient from Iowa State University, in partnership with the White House Historical Association.

All are assigned volunteer mentors for a year from among the veteran journalists of the White House press corps.

“Historically, NAHJ and the White House Correspondents’ Association have a shared priority in each organization’s work to nurture the next generation of journalists,” said Alberto B. Mendoza, executive director of the NAHJ. “This scholarship will significantly increase the impact, as representation is crucial to the press corps’ role in providing access to the public and ensuring equal access to all news sources.”

The WHCA-NAHJ Scholarship will be awarded each year to a student with a demonstrated interest in a career in journalism and proven academic performance. The student must be aware of the issues facing the Latino community and Latinos in the newsroom while also striving to portray all people in a fair and accurate manner in coverage of stories.

The scholarship will be for $2,000 each year, with the WHCA contributing half and the NAHJ contributing half.

For more information, contact Executive Director Steve Thomma at director@whca.press

About the WHCA

Founded in 1914, the White House Correspondents’ Association exists to promote excellence in journalism as well as journalism education, and to ensure robust news coverage of the president and the presidency. We support awards for some of the best political reporting of the past year, and scholarships for young reporters who carry our hopes for vibrant journalism in the years to come. Each day, we work to ensure that the men and women who cover the White House have the ability to seek answers from powerful officials, up to and including the President.

Our association comprises hundreds of members from the worlds of print, television, radio and online journalism. Their work, for outlets based in the United States and overseas, reaches a global audience.

About the NAHJ

The National Association of Hispanic Journalists is the largest organization of Latino journalists in the United States and dedicated to the recognition and professional advancement of Hispanics in the news industry. The mission of NAHJ is to increase the number of Latinos in the newsrooms and to work toward fair and accurate representation of Latinos in the news media. Established in April 1984, NAHJ created a national voice and unified vision for all Hispanic journalists. NAHJ has over 3,200 members, including working journalists, journalism students, other media-related professionals, and journalism educators. For more information please visit NAHJ.org or follow on Twitter @NAHJ. 

Covid Update Oct 7

Posted on by Steve Thomma

Since the onset of the pandemic, the WHCA has made it its primary mission to facilitatethe safest possible working environment for journalists at the White House. From reducing seating in the briefing room and workspaces to enforcing a face-covering requirement, we have acted to reflect the latest CDC and local government guidance. Since March, we have advocated publicly, but also privately, for measures to protect journalists and their ability to do their work in these uncertain times. 

The events of the past week have understandably raised concerns and sparked frustrations about working conditions at the White House. We share them. We bring you this update in hopes that it will help you all prepare for the days and weeks ahead.

First off, our thoughts are with our three colleagues who are dealing with the coronavirus. We wish them a quick and complete recovery.

Since Friday, dozens and dozens of tests have been conducted on members of our press corps who were potentially exposed. At this moment, we do not have any additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 among White House journalists nor any indications of journalist-to-journalist spread. While we are awaiting additional test results for some members, it appears clear that our safe behavior has helped contain this virus. We haven’t just been lucky, we have followed science and we have been vigilant. 

The WHCA has repeatedly pressed the White House at all levels to take steps to improve the safety conditions for journalists working there — and specifically to avoid knowingly putting in unnecessary jeopardy those serving in the pool who must be present as the eyes and ears of the American public. At a bare minimum, that should entail following the administration’s own guidelines on protecting people from the spread of the virus.

We are alarmedthat multiplestaffers in the White House press office have tested positive in recent days. We are informed that the latest positive cases in the press office have not been on the complex since Friday, and as such no journalists were deemed to be “close contacts” under CDC guidelines, which look back 48 hours from a positive test sample collection or the onset of symptoms. 

We have communicated to the White House that, as a press corps, we would like more information to evaluate our own potential exposure. We have pressed for them to provide updates on known and suspected infections so that reporters can as soon as possible know if they and their families have been put at risk. The administration, citing privacy concerns, has not provided additional details.

In the immediate days ahead, we continue to insist that journalists who are not in the pool and do not have an enclosed workspace refrain from entering the indoor press areas of the White House. We would also strongly encourage all journalists to avoid working from the White House grounds entirely if it can be avoided.

For those who must work at the White House, a mask continues to be required in any shared indoor press areas and we strongly suggest working outdoors as much as possible.

We again encourage journalists who have been at the White House since 9/26 to avail themselves of other testing options, through their local health department, personal physician, employer or other accommodation before returning to the White House complex.

We expect daily testing for the in-town, and eventually out-of-town, pools to continue. But as we all know, and as recent events have shown, frequent testing is a necessary but not sufficient condition for containing the virus.

Still, despite everything we’ve experienced in recent days, it would be foolish of us to assume that the situation at the White House or on the campaign trail will improve dramatically over the coming four weeks.

That means that we as a press corps, and each of us individually, must be clear-eyed about the potential risks of COVID-exposure on the job, taking every precaution we can to fulfill our coverage obligations while being prepared for situations with which we may not be comfortable. For instance, if you’re going to want an N95-type mask or goggles in a crowded room, don’t show up to pool duty without them.

We are an association of individuals with different risk tolerances, health statuses, family obligations, and corporate policies, and it is critical that we consider all of those before embarking on a pool assignment. If you have specific concerns, please reach out to us.

We are also all committed professionals who have worked under challenging circumstances to sustain the pool for the last seven months. Being there to ask the important questions is vital to the American public that relies on us for information.

Thank you for your cooperation and professionalism during these challenging times. And please don’t hesitate to reach out to Zeke (zmiller@ap.org) or the rest of the board if you have specific questions or concerns.

—The WHCA Board

COVID Update from WHCA President Zeke Miller

Posted on by Steve Thomma

Dear colleagues,

First off, I want to thank you all for your professionalism under these difficult and uncertain circumstances. Despite it all, we have maintained the protective pool around the president, a responsibility that is now more important than ever.

An update on where we stand: As of this moment, three White House journalists tested positive for COVID-19 today.

Individual 1 (Numbered in order of notification) received a preliminary positive test this morning at call time in the White House. The individual subsequently left the complex and received a confirming positive test. This individual was also at the White House briefing this past Sunday.

Individual 2 was most recently part of the out-of-town travel pool on Saturday for the trip to Pennsylvania but was briefly at the White House earlier in the day for a COVID test. That individual began experiencing symptoms on Thursday and tested positive earlier today.

Individual 3 was most recently part of the in-town travel pool on Sunday, which included a presidential news conference and a trip to the golf course. They also were in the in-town pool on Saturday, which included the Rose Garden event. That individual began experiencing symptoms late Wednesday and received a positive test result this afternoon.

The White House Medical Unit is beginning the process of contact tracing for these cases. We do not yet have an estimated time of completion for that process.

Given these positive cases, the president’s diagnosis and positive cases among other members of the White House staff, a number of White House journalists are self-isolating pending diagnostic testing.

Where do we go from here: Due to cases linked to the pools last weekend and the large number of press credentialed for the 9/26 Rose Garden event, we ask that if you were on the White House grounds or in the pools those days, that you pay extra attention to any changes in your health.

As of now, the White House has committed to testing those who were on Air Force One in the last week on Monday morning at call time. We strongly encourage other journalists who may have been exposed this week to avail themselves of other testing options, through their local health department, personal physician, employer or other accommodation before returning to the White House complex.

For seven months, we have been clear-eyed about the inherent risks in fulfilling our obligation to keeping the American public informed. Today those risks are more evident than ever, but our work is only growing more vital.

To allow that work to continue, we are insisting that journalists who are not in the pool and do not have an enclosed workspace to refrain from working out of the White House at this time. We must lower our exposure to possible further infections. When in the shared press areas, including at desks, please wear a mask at all times.

Avoid congregating in the break room or other areas. We urge you to take meals outdoors to minimize any time spent inside without a mask. This weekend, the weather will be pleasant and I suggest bringing a lawn chair and working from the driveway if you absolutely must be at the White House.

When going about your daily lives, please do your best to minimize risk. Your efforts both in and outside of the White House press work area are critical to maintaining a healthy press corps.

If you are returning from non-essential travel to any of the high-risk states listed in Mayor Bowser’s executive order, we ask that you avoid working from the White House press workspace during the 14 day self-quarantine period. (Journalistic assignments are considered essential.)

Finally, If you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or test positive for the virus, please notify WHCA President Zeke Miller and Vice President Steven Portnoy immediately. 

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to the WHCA Board if you have any questions.

Thank you for your cooperation,

Zeke

Meet the 2020 WHCA Scholarship Recipients

Posted on by Steve Thomma

Since the association started helping journalism students in 1991, it has awarded more than $1.4 million in scholarships, and leveraged another $1.2 million in aid.

The scholarships are financed by proceeds from the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner and donations to the WHCA.  Want to help? Click here to make a tax deductible donation

Here are the 2020 WHCA Scholars:

AMERICAN UNIVERSITY

Alexandra Ellerbeck is a graduate student in journalism at American University and a fellow at the Center for Public Integrity. With a background in human rights, she was the North American Program Coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists and has written for the Columbia Journalism Review, the Washington Post, Foreign Policy, Globe and Mail, Religion News Service, and The Progressive. Her goal is to tell true stories that hold people and institutions accountable.

ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY

Kara Harris is a Senior at Arizona State majoring in Journalism and Mass Communications. She is an active member of the National Association of Black Journalists and the National Collegiate Scholars Association and has covered stories on hate crimes in America, restoration of voting rights for convicted felons, and racial disparity amongst women of color during childbirth. Kara would like to ultimately become a network news executive producer for a primetime nightly news show.

Megan Boyanton is a graduate student at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. She has reported on a variety of issues including LGBTQ+ figures, the Venezuelan refugee crisis, Islamophobia, and gender violence. Her ultimate objective is to work as a foreign correspondent in long-form print and digital journalism, writing about social issues affecting misrepresented and ignored international communities.

Miranda Faulkner graduated in 2019 from Arizona State with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications. The first in her family to finish college, the native of Puyallup, Washington, hopes to cover politics and social issues.

Mythili Gubbi is a graduate student at Arizona State and recipient of the Trust in Reporting Scholarship. She published a young adult fiction novel called Kiara’s Tiara at the age of 16 and had an award-nominated Indian music and culture radio show on her college station. Hailing from Bangalore, India, Mythili’s goal is to tell stories that matter, whether that is as a broadcast reporter, radio host, or author.

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

Fatma Khaled is a graduate student pursuing a degree in Journalism and is the recipient of Qalaa (Citadel) Scholarship Foundation Award. A native Arabic speaker, she covered the political turmoil in Egypt in 2013 and has reported on different beats in the country including women’s issues, press freedom, and minority rights for different outlets, including The Globe Post and Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. She has experience in business reporting with focus on the impact of state economic policies on financial markets and business sectors including real estate, trade, and entrepreneurship.

HOWARD UNIVERSITY

The Harry S. McAlpin, Jr. Scholarship is named for a former White House Correspondent who was the first African-American to cover a presidential press conference – in spite of WHCA opposition at the time.

Samantha Chaney is a Junior majoring in Broadcast Journalism. She has interned at WHUR Radio, Fox 9 KMSP-TV in Minneapolis, MN and at CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell. Samantha aspires to attend Columbia University’s M.S./J.D. dual degree program, becoming a political correspondent and legal commentator for a major news network.

The Cokie Roberts Scholarship is named for the veteran Congressional and political correspondent for NPR, PBS and ABC News

Jessica Grider is a Junior majoring in Broadcast Journalism and a Howard University Capstone Four Year Academic Scholar. She has interned at the BBC’s DC Bureau and is currently a College Associate at Fox News Channel, covering events in the Capitol Building. She published an article, “Serving After the Storm” featuring the hungry families that were in urgent need of proper aid after major food stamp cuts complicated hurricane relief in Puerto Rico.

Donovan Thomas is a Baton Rouge-by-way-of-New Orleans Sophomore majoring in Journalism. He is the President of the Howard University Ida B. Wells Society, the sole student chapter of the national organization. His first journalism gig was in fifth grade and he plans to continue that career path upon graduation.

IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY

The Hugh S. Sidey Scholarship in Print Journalism is named for a former White House Correspondent and co-sponsored by the WHCA and White House Historical Association

Olivia Benjamin is a Junior majoring in Public Relations. She was a marketing/social media intern for Kohl’s Professional Kicking Camps and a communications intern for the College of Engineering at Iowa State University and is currently a communications assistant for the Greenlee School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Her dream job is to work in crisis communication in politics.

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

Silvia Martelli is a Northwestern University graduate student from Milan, Italy. Silvia would like to cover Capitol Hill and hopes to become a White House correspondent or a foreign correspondent.

The Deborah Orin Scholarship is named for a former White House Correspondent.

Sam Cabral is obtaining his Master of Science in Journalism, with a Politics, Policy and Foreign Affairs specialization. He would like to pursue a career in broadcast journalism, bringing a diversity of identity and perspective to field reporting. Sam would like to cut his teeth as a video or multimedia journalist, ultimately becoming an anchor.

Mark Satter is a native of Washington DC and a graduate student at Northwestern. Upon graduating, Mark plans to cover politics and national security from Washington.

OHIO UNIVERSITY

Ashton Nichols is a junior working on degrees in Journalism and Economics. She is the current long form and investigations editor for The Post, Ohio University’s independent student newspaper, and has previously interned on the business desk of The Columbus Dispatch, as a data intern for The Ohio Center for Investigative Journalism, and Cincinnati Magazine. Ashton hopes to work abroad in the future and aspires to be a financial journalist and cover topics relating to business and economics.

Maggie Prosser is a Junior Journalism major and serves as the editor-in-chief of The New Political, an award-winning, independent and nonpartisan publication at Ohio University that covers state and local politics. She has interned at The Columbus Dispatch reporting on state government as an E.W. Scripps fellow, and was a beat reporter for The Chautauquan Daily where she was recognized as the 2019 Ernest Cawcroft Journalism fellow for excellence in community journalism. This summer, Maggie will be interning on The Philadelphia Inquirer’s news desk.

Cole Daniel Behrens is a Junior majoring in Journalism. He is managing editor in a student publication at Ohio University, The New Political, and does freelance work for The Athens News. An Ohio native, Cole hopes to pursue a professional career covering Ohio politics and public affairs.

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY

Brett Simpson is a graduate student. She is a 2019 National Press Club Feldman Fellow, a 2019 Council for the Advancement for Science Writing Fellow, and a Graduate Researcher at the Investigative Reporting Program. Brett hopes to cover the nexus of health, the environment, and global climate change as a print and audio science reporter.

UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS

Emma Bascom is a junior majoring in Journalism. She is the associate news editor, copy editor, and former public safety reporter at the University Daily Kansan and has work currently displayed as part of a presentation about women’s suffrage. In the future, Emma hope to continue her work as an investigative reporter and storyteller.

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND

April Howard is a Journalism: Broadcast News major and represents 4 scholarship winners at Maryland. 

She is a Society of Professional Journalists Scholarship Recipient (SDXDC Chapter), a Member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Treasurer for the Caribbean Students’ Association, and a member of the National Association of Black Journalists. April is interested in sports reporting, anchoring, and/or commentating with a special interest in football, basketball and tennis.

UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI

Karina Zaiets is in her second year at the University of Missouri, focusing her studies on Environmental Journalism. A Ukrainian, she is a Fulbright award winner and wants to renew and reinvent science journalism in Ukraine.

Katherine (Katie) Parkins is a graduate student and has reported on politics from the county level for Colorado’s largest local media outlet, from the state level at Missouri’s capitol, and internationally from the capital of the European Union. She was a regional reporter for ProPublica’s Electionland project in 2016 to identify voting problems across the Midwest and fact checked Missouri politicians’ claims for PolitiFact in 2017, creating Missouri’s first-ever governor promise tracker. Currently working for “Face the Nation”, her career goal is to become a television producer, eventually an investigative producer, ultimately creating her own political news program.

Rosemary Belson graduated with a Master of Arts in Journalism in December. While a student at the University of Missouri, she reported and produced podcasts at KBIA, Columbia’s NPR affiliate, and was a supervising producer for KBIA’s international news program, Global Journalist. She has interned at Politico Europe, The Wire in New Delhi, and WKOW, the ABC News station in Madison, Wisconsin. Now working at Slate Magazine, Rosemary hopes to tell impactful and engaging audio stories that help the public stay informed.

Will Jarvis completed his M.A. in Magazine Writing in 2019 and is current a Producer at National Public Radio. He was a contributing writer for 5280 Magazine’s “The Art of Dying Well,” the 2019 National Magazine Award-winner in Personal Service category, and the winner for the Associated Collegiate Press’ Sports Story of the Year in 2016. Will hopes to someday write for magazines or outlets that value off-the-beaten-path reporting.

Elizabeth Elkin is a graduate student at the Missouri School of Journalism, studying investigative reporting and magazine writing. Currently a breaking news intern at Bloomberg, she has been editor-in-chief of Mizzou’s city magazine, a state government reporter for the local paper, covered Congress as a Bloomberg Government intern, a digital news intern at CNN, and interned for the German Press Agency. Elizabeth received her undergraduate degree from Alabama, where she was editor-in-chief of the student newspaper and the honors college magazine and spent two years reporting and producing for a local television station.

Samuel Manas is a graduate student and the recipient of the Missouri Associated Press Media Editors first place award for Spot News (2018) and the Missouri Press Association Best News Story (2018). He has covered subjects ranging from local homicides to proposed prescription drug medication regulations and has also worked building products and proposing business plans for newsroom products. Sam would like to cover policy and work abroad covering climate change and other issues, ultimately running a newsroom.

For more information, contact WHCA Executive Director Steven Thomma at director@whca.press 

Introducing the 2020 White House Correspondents’ Dinner – With host Kenan Thompson and featured entertainer Hasan Minhaj

Posted on by Steve Thomma
  • Kenan Thompson (Photo by: NBC/Mary Ellen Matthews)
  • Hasan Minhaj

Introducing the 2020 White House Correspondents’ Dinner – With host Kenan Thompson and featured entertainer Hasan Minhaj

WASHINGTON – The White House Correspondents’ Association is pleased to announce the lineup for its annual dinner, to be held on Saturday, April 25, 2020.

Kenan Thompson, the actor and longest-tenured Saturday Night Live cast-member, will serve as the evening’s host.  Hasan Minhaj, the Peabody award-winning host of Netflix’s Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj, will return to the dinner as featured entertainer.

“Kenan and Hasan are two of the most engaged and engaging entertainers in America.  I’m thrilled they’ll help us celebrate the role of a free press in our democracy,” said Jonathan Karl, Chief White House Correspondent for ABC News and president of the WHCA.  “We’re looking forward to a lively evening honoring the most important political journalism of the past year.” 

The WHCA will be presenting two new awards at the 2020 dinner: The Katharine Graham Award for Courage and Accountability and the Award for Excellence in Presidential News Coverage by Visual Journalists.  These are in addition to the longstanding Aldo Beckman Award for Overall Excellence in White House Coverage and Merriman Smith Award for Excellence in Presidential News Coverage Under Deadline Pressure.

This year’s dinner will also include the inaugural presentation of the Collier Prize for State Government Accountability, administered by the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications to recognize outstanding statehouse reporting.

Kenan Thompson began his career as a member of Nickelodeon’s sketch series All That. Thompson is currently in his 17th season on SNL where he has set a record for the most celebrity impressions performed on the show. In 2018, he received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics and a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

Hasan Minhaj has hosted his Netflix show since 2018, drawing critics’ raves, including a Peabody award in 2019, for his humorous and informed examination of issues of domestic and global import. He was the entertainer at the 2017 WHCA Dinner when he was a senior correspondent on The Daily Show.  His one-hour Netflix comedy special Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King was released in 2017, for which he won his first Peabody Award in 2018.

This year the WHCA has partnered with Bob Bain Productions, which has produced such events as the Critics’ Choice Awards, the Teen Choice Awards, the Creative Arts Emmys, Miss America and the Trevor Noah stand-up specials.

The White House Correspondents’ Dinner is a non-partisan event that supports the work of the WHCA to protect the role of independent news media coverage of the president. Proceeds fund the organization’s operating expenses and go toward scholarships and awards aimed at promoting aspiring journalists and recognizing excellence in the journalism profession.

Stay tuned for further announcements about the 2020 White House Correspondents’ Dinner. 

For more information, contact WHCA Executive Director Steve Thomma at director@whca.press or 202-266-7453.

WHCA announces Katharine Graham Award for Courage and Accountability

Posted on by Steve Thomma

WASHINGTON — The White House Correspondents’ Association is pleased to announce the creation of a new award to honor in-depth investigative and accountability reporting.

The Katharine Graham Award for Courage and Accountability will be presented for the first time at the association’s annual dinner on Saturday, April 25. The detailed Call for Entries will be posted soon.

“Katharine Graham was a towering figure in journalism who courageously supported reporters and editors in the quest to hold those in power accountable,” said Jonathan Karl, the president of the association.  “I am thrilled to announce the creation of an award to recognize and honor the kind of fearless journalism Katharine Graham dedicated her life to promoting.” 

The prize, approved by the WHCA board, will recognize an individual or newsgathering team for coverage of subjects and events of significant national or regional importance in line with the human and professional qualities exemplified by the late Katharine Graham, the distinguished former publisher of The Washington Post.

The $10,000 annual prize has been endowed in perpetuity through a generous donation from Jeff Bezos to the White House Correspondents’ Association.

As is the case for all WHCA awards, an independent panel of judges will look for excellence in stories with fairness and objectivity in selecting a recipient. For the Katharine Graham Award for Courage and Accountability, special consideration will be given to reporting undertaken despite adversity.

The inaugural award will be based on a sample of journalism produced during the year ending December 31, 2019. The deadline for entries will be Monday, March 2.  Submissions will be accepted at whca.press.

The new award will be one of several honoring exemplary journalism at this year’s WHCA dinner. Also to be presented:

–The Aldo Beckman Award for Overall Excellence in White House Coverage;

–The Merriman Smith Award for Excellence in Presidential News Coverage Under Deadline Pressure;

–The Award for Excellence in Presidential News Coverage by Visual Journalists

The 2020 dinner also will include the inaugural presentation of the Collier Prize for State Government Accountability, administered by the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications to recognize outstanding statehouse reporting. The deadline for submitting entries for that award is Jan. 31. Information about that award and submission information can be found here. 

For more information, contact WHCA Executive Director Steve Thomma at 202-266-7453 or director@whca.press

On Unannounced White House Meeting with Saudi Minister

Posted on by Steve Thomma

“President Trump met with Saudi Arabia’s Vice Minister of Defense at the White House yesterday, but the public did not learn about the meeting until the Saudi government released a statement about it today.  The Saudi government also released photographs of the President and his senior advisers meeting with the Vice Minister of Defense in the Oval Office.  A meeting with a foreign leader in the Oval Office should, at the very least, be on the public schedule with a read-out of the meeting released after it is over.  This has been the long-standing precedent for presidents of both political parties.  It is disturbing to see the government of Saudi Arabia have more transparency than the White House about a meeting with the President in the Oval Office.”

– Jonathan Karl, President, The White House Correspondents’ Association

WHCA Statement on video depicting President Trump murdering journalists

Posted on by Steve Thomma

The WHCA is horrified by a video reportedly shown over the weekend at a political conference organized by the President’s supporters at the Trump National Doral in Miami. All Americans should condemn this depiction of violence directed toward journalists and the President’s political opponents. We have previously told the President his rhetoric could incite violence.  Now we call on him and everybody associated with this conference to denounce this video and affirm that violence has no place in our society.
– Jonathan Karl, President, White House Correspondents’ Association

WHCA Files Court Brief Against Press Pass Suspension

Posted on by Steve Thomma

From WHCA President Jonathan Karl

The WHCA has filed an amicus brief in a case contesting the White House’s decision to suspend the press pass of one our members.
We strongly disagree with the government’s argument that neither the Due Process clause nor the First Amendment constrains the administration in determining who gets access to the White House.  We also believe giving the White House Press Secretary unfettered discretion to determine what is ‘professional’ or ‘unprofessional’ conduct would have a chilling effect on journalists.

From the Brief

“The ability of the press to question elected officials vigorously and regularly and to report freely on the activities of these officials is fundamental to our democracy. When government officials—including the President of the United States here—attempt to restrict, curtail, intimidate, or silence the press in its news gathering activities, the rights of the people and the press, as guaranteed by the First Amendment, are infringed, and our democratic form of government is placed in jeopardy.”

Read the Full WHCA Brief here

WHCA to Showcase Major New Journalism Award

Posted on by Steve Thomma

The White House Correspondents’ Association is pleased to announce that it will feature a major new prize for journalism at its annual dinner starting in 2020, The Collier Prize for State Government Accountability sponsored by the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications.

The $25,000 prize, one of the largest journalism prizes in the nation, is designed to encourage coverage of state government, focusing on investigative and political reporting.

The award is funded by Nathan S. Collier, founder and chairman of The Collier Companies headquartered in Gainesville, Florida. Collier is a descendant of Peter Fenelon Collier, who in 1888 founded Collier’s, a weekly magazine focused on investigative journalism and publishing stories from renowned journalists such as Jack London, Upton Sinclair, Ida Tarbell and Samuel Hopkins Adams. 

One of the magazine’s most famous investigative series was the “The Great American Fraud,” which analyzed the contents of popular patent medicines and led to the first Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906.

“Collier’s Weekly had a long history of investigative journalism, shining light in the dark recesses of government,” said Collier, great grandnephew of the magazine’s founder. “I am honoring Peter Fenelon Collier’s vision and dedication by supporting a vibrant free press, particularly at the state government level.”

The WHCA board agreed to present the award to help encourage and promote state-based reporting.

“I’m deeply grateful to the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications for partnering with us to create the Collier Prize for Statehouse Accountability,” said Olivier Knox, WHCA president. “Few trends in news worry me more than the widespread hollowing-out of local and regional coverage. The WHCA cannot, by itself or even with a generous partner, reverse this corrosive phenomenon, but we owe it to ourselves and to the public to sound this call to arms.”

In announcing this award, UFCJC Dean Diane McFarlin cited a diminished investment in statehouse coverage over the last decade.

“The professional news media’s watchdog role in state capitols has declined precipitously over the last decade in the number of journalists employed to cover state governments,” said McFarlin, former publisher of the Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune. “The result is that citizens don’t know what they don’t know, and the danger is that corruption and malfeasance can proceed unchecked. We hope this prize will encourage more rigorous coverage of a government body that has a direct impact on citizens’ lives every day.”

A 2014 assessment of state capitol press corps by the Pew Research Center found that the number of newspaper reporters covering state capitols declined by 35 percent between 2003 and 2014. Less than one-third of newspapers today assign even one reporter to the statehouse. Among local TV news stations, it is just 14 percent.  In Florida alone, the number of journalists stationed in Tallahassee and assigned to cover the Legislature and government agencies has dwindled by as much as half in the last decade, by some estimates.

UFCJC will partner with WHCA to promote, administer and present the annual award. Although primarily focused on White House coverage, WHCA seeks to support the coverage of politics and government broadly, including the state level.

Details for submitting nominations for the 2020 award will be available in fall 2019.

About Nathan S. Collier

Nathan S. Collier is founder and chairman of The Collier Companies, the largest owner of multifamily housing with more than 45 properties and approximately 11,000 apartments in Florida, Oklahoma and Georgia. Collier, who earned a bachelor’s, master’s and J.D. from the University Florida, has endowed the Nathan S. Collier Master of Science in Real Estate program at UF’s Warrington College of Business. He is a generous supporter of the arts in Gainesville and financial patron of New York’s Museum of Modern Art, Guggenheim Museum, and Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About the White House Correspondents Association

The White House Correspondents’ Association exists to promote excellence in journalism as well as journalism education, and to ensure robust news coverage of the president and the presidency. 

About the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications

The University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications, recognized by its peers as one of the premier programs in the country, is driving innovation and engagement across the disciplines of advertising, journalism, public relations and telecommunication. The college’s strength is drawn from both academic rigor and experiential learning. It offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees and certificates, both online and on campus. CJC students have the opportunity to gain practical experience in the Innovation News Center, which generates content across multiple platforms, and The Agency, an integrated strategic communication and consumer research agency focused on marketing to young adults. The College includes seven broadcast and digital media properties, the Joseph L. Brechner Center for Freedom of Information and the nation’s only STEM Translational Communication Center and Center for Public Interest Communications.

New WHCA Scholarship with American University will focus on investigative reporting

Posted on by Steve Thomma

The White House Correspondents’ Association and American University are pleased to announce the creation of a new scholarship partnership aimed at encouraging investigative journalism.

“Whether it’s seeing a pattern others have missed, or unearthing secrets deliberately concealed by those in power, or doing the demanding and grinding work of sifting through public records, investigative reporting is vital to a healthy republic,” said Olivier Knox, president of the WHCA. “I’m thrilled that the WHCA has partnered with American University to underline that fact.”

The scholarship will be awarded each year to an undergraduate or graduate student in journalism at American who shows promise in the field of investigative journalism. It will be for $5,000, with half coming from the WHCA and half coming from the university.

“At such an important time in our history and industry, we are honored to launch the first investigative journalism scholarship with WHCA,” said Amy Eisman, director of the journalism division at AU’s School of Communications.

The recipient will be recognized at the annual dinner of the WHCA, starting with this year’s event on April 27. The recipient also will be included in a scholarship luncheon that weekend and will be matched with a veteran White House journalist for a year of mentoring.

The first student to receive the scholarship will be Shelby Hanssen of Rochester, Minnesota, a graduate journalism student in the School of Communication.

Hanssen holds a law degree from the University of Oregon School of Law. She has written for The Washington Post and is attached to the paper’s investigative unit through the school’s graduate journalism practicum class, which embeds student journalists in the Post newsroom under the leadership of John Sullivan, a reporter at the Post and editor at the school’s Investigative Reporting Workshop who also teaches at the school.

American becomes the 10th university partnering with the WHCA to encourage young journalists through scholarships. In addition to American, the full roster includes Arizona State University, Columbia University, Grambling State University, Howard University, Northwestern University, Ohio University, the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Maryland and the University of Missouri.

Another two universities award scholarships that are honored by the WHCA at the annual dinner: George Washington University and Iowa State University.

For more information contact Steven Thomma, WHCA Executive Director, at 202-266-7453 or at director@whca.press

For inquiries specific to American University School of Communication, contact AJ Springer, Senior Public Relations Manager, at 202-885-5935 or at ajs@american.edu