Category: WHCA Statement
Statement from WHCA President Olivier Knox on blocking of photographer at Trump rally
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
By now, you’ve seen the photograph from the Trump rally yesterday that shows an aide with his hand over a photographer’s lens, an attempt to prevent our colleague from getting a picture of a protester at the event.
I have spoken to both the White House and the Trump campaign. The White House referred me to the campaign.
The Trump campaign assures me that these were the actions of an inexperienced volunteer, who understands that he acted in error. The campaign has taken him off the road, and promises that this will not happen again.
Thanks to those of you who brought this to my attention last night. Please feel free to reach out to me and your other Board members anytime you run into a problem.
Best,
Olivier
Statement from WHCA President Olivier Knox
We strongly condemn the White House’s misguided and inappropriate decision today to bar one of our members from an open press event after she asked questions they did not like. This type of retaliation is wholly inappropriate, wrong-headed, and weak. It cannot stand. Reporters asking questions of powerful government officials, up to and including the President, helps hold those people accountable. In our republic, the WHCA supports the prerogative of all reporters to do their jobs without fear of reprisal from the government. — WHCA President Olivier Knox
Statement on pool coverage at Singapore Summit
Full pool coverage of the president in cases in which open press coverage is not possible has been a longstanding agreement between the White House and the press corps and the default position that the WHCA expected and advocated ahead of the summit. The White House’s decision not to protect that standard for some key pools during the summit showed in the news coverage, with reporters and networks struggling to precisely determine what President Trump and Kim Jong Un said after the White House did not allow a properly-constituted pool in the room.
WHCA repeatedly shared our members’ opposition to any moves to arbitrarily restrict pools for perhaps the most important foreign policy meeting of this presidency. While there were some full pool sprays, restrictions were placed on other pools including the bilateral and expanded bilateral meetings and an event in which the president addressed a supplementary tv camera with no editorial presence. Even as we were pleased to see a return to the tradition of an open press presidential news conference on overseas trips, our members are strongly opposed to any erosion of the standard for pools and deeply concerned about the impact that would have on the American public.
Margaret Talev, WHCA President
A statement on President Trump’s Twitter comment on the news media
Some may excuse the president’s inflammatory rhetoric about the media, but just because the president does not like news coverage does not make it fake. A free press must be able to report on the good, the bad, the momentous and the mundane, without fear or favor. And a president preventing a free and independent press from covering the workings of our republic would be an unconscionable assault on the First Amendment.
-Margaret Talev, WHCA President
WHCA scholars meet with President Trump and Vice President Pence
The 2018 WHCA scholars were hosted at the White House Friday April 27 by President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.
Trump praised the group as “the future” of journalism, branding it a “great profession,” as they posed for a group photo at the South Portico of the White House.
The White House press pool was in attendance for the meeting.
The first draft of the first draft of history
The White House Correspondents’ Association and the University of Maryland are pleased to announce the creation of a unique new window into the world of the president and the press — a permanent and ongoing digital, searchable archive of presidential pool reports produced by White House correspondents.
The White House Correspondents’ Association Pool Reports Collection will be kept at the university and available online. It will consist of the reports written every day by members of the White House press corps on the activities of the president.
“This collection will be of invaluable help to scholars far and wide. A grand slam idea,” said Douglas Brinkley, professor of history at Rice University and CNN presidential historian.
The presidential pool reports are produced by journalists who are part of a small group that covers the president — in the White House, at events, in the motorcade and on Air Force One — when it is not possible for the entire press corps to be present. Their written pool reports are disseminated to the rest of the press corps, once on paper, now digitally.
“The WHCA release of pool reports provides a valuable window into presidential history,” said Robert Dallek, a presidential historian and biographer. “These are the kind of contemporary materials that are treasured by historians.”
“This collection of pool reports will be an essential tool to historians of modern American politics,” said Julian E. Zelizer, the Malcolm Stevenson Forbes, Class of 1941 Professor of History and Public Affairs at Princeton University. Zelizer is also a CNN political analyst and co-host of “Politics and Polls.”
“It will also provide an important, archivally based window into relationship between the presidents and the press, a subject that is gaining more attention in recent years,” he said.
The collection will be produced through a partnership including the WHCA, the University of Maryland — including the Philip Merrill College of Journalism, the University Libraries and the College of Information Studies — and the Newseum Institute.
“WHCA is proud to launch this historically significant project with our host, the University of Maryland,” said Margaret Talev, the president of the association and Senior White House Correspondent for Bloomberg. “We thank the many journalists, historians and academics at institutions throughout the country for their input in furnishing the raw work and the vision for how this resource can serve the public. It’s a massive undertaking and we welcome support from organizations and individuals that would like to get involved.”
The WHCA sought to create the collection as part of its mission to ensure a strong free press and robust coverage of the presidency. At the same time, the partnership will develop educational and scholarly programs and publications based on the collection and presidential access and coverage.
“The University of Maryland is honored to have the opportunity to steward this valuable archive and research tool, a unique record of the U.S. presidency,” said Lucy A. Dalglish, dean of the Merrill College. “We’re proud to make it available to the public and to scholars around the world.”
The collection will complement materials at the University of Maryland Libraries that document the history of radio and television broadcasting, including the Library of American Broadcasting and the National Public Broadcasting Archives.
“Archiving information and making it publicly available is not only essential to accessibility and transparency in current times, but also to the accuracy of how events are remembered in the future,” said Keith Marzullo, dean of the College of Information Studies.
Dalglish said a kickoff event is scheduled for Oct. 9 at the Newseum, where guests — including current and former White House correspondents — will be invited to celebrate the collection and share old pool reports in their possession, “whether they’re stored digitally or in boxes in basements.”
Work will begin this year and the archive is expected to be stood up over the next two years.
Gene Policinski, president and chief operating officer of the Newseum Institute, said the Newseum is honored to partner in preserving the reports.
“Journalism is known as a ‘first draft of history,’” Policinski said. “This WHCA material is literally the first drafts of such first drafts.”
About the WHCA:
The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) represents the hundreds of journalists who cover the White House. Its mission is to ensure a strong free press and robust coverage of the presidency by advocating for access to the president, White House events and administration officials. We also work to encourage new generations of White House correspondents through our college scholarship program.
About the University of Maryland:
The University of Maryland, College Park is the state’s flagship university and one of the nation’s preeminent public research universities. A global leader in research, entrepreneurship and innovation, the university is home to more than 40,000 students, 10,000 faculty and staff, and 280 academic programs. Its faculty includes two Nobel laureates, three Pulitzer Prize winners, 60 members of the national academies and scores of Fulbright scholars. The institution has a $1.9 billion operating budget and secures $514 million annually in external research funding. For more information about the University of Maryland, College Park, visit http://www.umd.edu/.
About the Newseum Institute:
The Newseum Institute, headquartered in Washington, is the education and outreach partner of the Freedom Forum and the Newseum. The Institute includes the First Amendment Center, the Religious Freedom Center and NewseumED, an online learning platform for teachers and students. The Institute regularly hosts compelling programs that engage in the central debates of our time, including the role of a free press in a democracy, ongoing threats to journalists, and the significance of religious freedom in a pluralistic society.
April 5 2018
Announcing the Entertainer for the 2018 WHCA Annual Dinner
The White House Correspondents’ Association is pleased to announce that comedian Michelle Wolf will be the entertainer at the WHCA’s annual dinner on Saturday, April 28, 2018. Wolf is the host of a newly announced show on Netflix, which comes on the heels of her highly reviewed HBO special. She is also known for her acclaimed work as a contributor on Comedy Central’s Daily Show With Trevor Noah.
“I’m delighted to announce ‘Nice Lady’ Michelle Wolf as our featured entertainer this year,” said Margaret Talev, president of the WHCA. “Our dinner honors the First Amendment and strong, independent journalism. Her embrace of these values and her truth-to-power style make her a great friend to the WHCA. Her Pennsylvania roots, stints on Wall Street and in science and self-made, feminist edge make her the right voice now.”
Wolf most recently premiered her hour-long HBO special, “Michelle Wolf: Nice Lady” and Netflix recently announced that she will star in a new weekly half-hour comedy show later this year. Prior to that, Wolf worked as an on-air contributor and writer for The Daily Show With Trevor Noah on Comedy Central.
The Association, founded in 1914 to represent the White House press corps, works to maintain independent news media coverage of the president, advocating for access, handling logistics for pools of reporters who stay close to the president and those who travel with him, and providing scholarships to journalism students.
The annual dinner is traditionally attended by the President and First Lady as well as many other senior government officials and members of the press corps. Proceeds from the dinner support the association’s year-round work as well as scholarships for aspiring journalists and awards recognizing excellence in the profession.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders to Join Reporters at GW to Assess Trump’s Impact on Politics, Policy, and the Presidency
Washington – George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs and the White House Correspondents’ Association will host a panel with White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, White House correspondents and academics. The event will be held at the Jack Morton Auditorium at GW beginning at 7 p.m. on Oct. 23.
The forum, “Trump’s First Year: Will Politics, Policy and the Presidency Ever be the Same?” will explore the Trump presidency from the front lines. What deals have been made? What deals were lost? How have contracts changed? What impact has the president had on government procurement? What are the legal repercussions of these changes? Will contract law ever be the same again? Has Mr. Trump kept his campaign promises? How can the policy that matters to millions of Americans be covered during the Twitter presidency?
The event will include an audience question-and-answer session. The panel will also discuss the unprecedented challenge of covering the White House in a new era of media distrust and political division. The marketing for this event can be assisted by this guide for political campaign SMS marketing success, to make sure everyone involved is reached out to. Social media plays an increasingly significant role in spreading political news and campaigns as well. To get their messages across, parties tend to utilize tweets, hashtags, comments, and live sessions. Occasionally, some parties might also prefer to buy comments on Instagram to gain more exposure during their political campaigns.
Who:
• Sarah Sanders, White House press secretary
• Olivier Knox, chief Washington correspondent, Yahoo! News; president-elect, White House Correspondents Association (2018-2019)
• John Roberts, chief White House correspondent, Fox News
• April Ryan, White House correspondent and Washington bureau chief, American Urban Radio Networks; CNN political correspondent
• Glenn Thrush, White House correspondent, the New York Times
• Sarah Binder, professor of political science, GW
• Frank Sesno, director, GW School of Media and Public Affairs (co-moderator)
• Margaret Talev, White House correspondent, Bloomberg News; CNN political analyst; president, White House Correspondents’ Association (co-moderator)
When:
Monday, Oct. 23, 2017; 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Where:
The George Washington University Media and Public Affairs Building
Jack Morton Auditorium (ground floor)
805 21st St., NW
Washington, D.C.
Foggy Bottom-GWU Metro (Blue, Orange and Silver lines)
Media Registration:
Media interested in attending must contact Jason Shevrin at jshevrin@gwu.edu or 202-994-5631. Media must RSVP by close of business on Friday, Oct. 20. Please indicate if you are requesting a camera position. Space is limited and confirmation from GW is required for media attendance.
Additional Information:
“We are living through an exceptionally challenging and important time in American politics and media. We will talk about the important issues of the day: from health care to immigration, from Texas to North Korea. We will also be discussing the latest trends in government procurement, trade, and contract law. This event is part of our school’s mission to generate open and rigorous discussions among government, media, academics and the public,” said Frank Sesno, director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at GW.”We are especially excited to host this event with such a well-respected institution that is on the front lines of these issues each day.”
“This event is an exciting opportunity to discuss core issues of press and democracy with an institution that is preparing the next generation of journalists and political communicators,” said Margaret Talev, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association. “We are pleased to include our members in this open discussion.”
More information on this event is available at go.gwu.edu/yearoftrump. Follow the conversation on Twitter at the handle @SMPAGWU and hashtag #YearofTrump. The event will be broadcast live at go.gwu.edu/smpalive.
Media Contacts:
Jason Shevrin: jshevrin@gwu.edu, 202-994-5631
Maralee Csellar: csellar@gwu.edu, 202-994-7564
Statement on Briefings
Yesterday on behalf of the WHCA I had a meeting with Sean Spicer and Sarah Sanders to discuss the issue of White House briefings. We had a long exchange of views about the subject, and each side expressed its thoughts and concerns about the current situation. The meeting was a follow-up to advocacy that board members and others have done over the last few weeks.
The WHCA’s position on this issue is clear: we believe strongly that Americans should be able to watch and listen to senior government officials face questions from an independent news media, in keeping with the principles of the First Amendment and the need for transparency at the highest levels of government.
As you all know, the WHCA Board represents a diverse set of interests inside the press corps, including journalists who need video and sound to tell Americans what the government is doing in their name. So it is also with that in mind that we have urged the White House not to replace on-camera briefings with “gaggles,” not-for-broadcast question and answer sessions. Though they are useful and can play an important role in informing the press and the public, gaggles are not a substitute for the open back-and-forth between reporters and administration officials that regular televised briefings allow.
Sean and Sarah agreed to consider these positions, and the Board will follow up with them in the coming days. We are not satisfied with the current state-of-play, and we will work hard to change it. In the meantime, I have asked that reporters be able to use audio from all gaggles going forward. We will keep you posted as developments occur.
WHCA Statement on Press Briefings 5/12/17
White House briefings and press conferences provide substantive and symbolic opportunities for journalists to pose questions to officials at the highest levels of the U.S. government. That exercise, conducted in full view of our republic’s citizens, is clearly in line with the spirit of the First Amendment. Doing away with briefings would reduce accountability, transparency, and the opportunity for Americans to see that, in the U.S. system, no political figure is above being questioned. The White House Correspondents’ Association would object to any move that would threaten those constitutionally-protected principles.
White House Correspondents Win DW Freedom of Speech Award
The journalists of the White House Correspondents’ Association have been awarded DW’s 2017 Freedom of Speech Award. DW said the WHCA had established a new benchmark in holding US leadership accountable. Deutsche Welle announced the award Wednesday, saying the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) had maintained high standards in its reporting, despite facing allegations of “fake news” by the US president himself. “The White House Correspondents’ Association is a guarantor for the control of those in power,” DW Director General Peter Limbourg said. “We have complete trust in the democracy in the United States of America. This entails that we are reliant on a strong media.” READ MORE ON DW.COM