White House Correspondents’ Association President Margaret Talev addressed the organization’s annual dinner on the need for a free and fair press in the U.S. and around the world.
“We reject efforts by anyone, especially our elected leaders, to paint journalism as un-American, to undermine trust between reporter and reader, or to cast doubt on the relevance of facts and truth in the modern age. An attack on any journalist is an attack on us all”
Egyptian-American social activist Aya Hijazi credits the role America’s free press played in helping to secure her release as a political prisoner in Egypt as she addresses the 2018 White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner.
The Future Former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan offers video congratulations to scholarship winners and thoughts on journalism to guest at the 2018 White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. The video aired during the dinner on April 28, 2018.
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.
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan addressed the annual WHCA student scholarship luncheon on Friday April 25, 2018, congratulating the two dozen awardees on their selection and encouraging them to keep on in standing up for the First Amendment.
“It is the Amendment that keeps our government honest,” Ryan told the group of student scholars and WHCA members. “You need some institution that’s going to separate right from wrong.”
Ryan pressed the students to be mindful of their responsibility to inform the public, and said their work is more important than amid a climate of misinformation and partisanship.
“Never forget that this a service to the country,” he said.
Ryan took questions from the students, and afterward posed for photos with the awardees.
The White House Correspondents’ Association is very happy to announce that it will present The President’s Award to presidential scholar Martha Joynt Kumar at the association’s annual dinner on Saturday, April 28.
The President’s Award honors exceptional service to the WHCA. It is being given on the recommendation of association president Margaret Talev and the approval of the association board.
“Martha is a treasure to White House correspondents – an incredible resource who is uniquely accessible in real time because of her regular presence in the briefing room and press workspace and her ongoing discussions with the administration,” Talev said. “When covering a president who prides himself on upending the status quo and leaving his own mark on traditions, it’s especially valuable to have Martha’s expertise to help put his words and actions in context with past administrations.”
Martha Joynt Kumar is a scholar of the presidency and the press who has spent two decades recording and analyzing the relationship between journalists and the White House.
She has been of great service to members of the White House Correspondents’ Association with her unique statistics on how often journalists get to question the president. She is frequently
quoted in news stories in all media. Her authoritative records are used by the association in its work to gain access to the president and administration officials.
Martha represents that special bridge between the “first draft of history” that we do and the presidential- and executive-branch historians who put our work into context.
She is the author of “Managing the President’s Message: The White House Communications Operation” and several other books and articles on the way the press and presidency work. She is an emeritus Professor in the Department of Political Science at Towson University,
director of the White House Transition Project, and a board member of the White House Historical Association.
The White House Correspondents’ Association is pleased to announce its 2018 scholarship winners in partnership with a growing number of university partners around the country. The addition of new partnerships with 3 schools brings the total up to 11 from eight.
The new school partners are Arizona State University, Grambling State University and Iowa State University.
They are being added to the roster of existing WHCA scholarship partnerships at Columbia University, the George Washington University, Howard University, Northwestern University, Ohio University, the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Maryland and the University of Missouri. The students – some will be announced later this year – will receive a total of $148,000 in grants, including $134,500 from the association and $13,500 from the schools.
Most will be recognized at the association’s annual dinner on April 28.
“These students represent the next generation of American journalists and a diverse and inspired group of future White House correspondents,” said Margaret Talev, president of the association.
“WHCA is proud to partner with universities and news organizations to assist with our scholars’ education and connect them with mentors inside our press corps. Each year, we host a special luncheon on the eve of the dinner to welcome them. We also are proud to introduce them at our dinner. WHCA is working to expand our scholarships across the U.S. and we welcome support from individuals and news organizations.”
Click here to learn more about this year’s scholarship winners.
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.