Event took place with no Trump, no comedian and notably fewer politicians or Hollywood stars than in past years
Journalists rallied in defence of press freedom on Saturday, insisting they “are not the enemy of the people” at a Washington media gala snubbed by Donald Trump.
The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner was a muted affair with no US president, no comedian and notably fewer politicians or Hollywood stars than in past years.
The event took place under the shadow of a second Trump administration that has launched a wave of fresh attacks on freedom of the press, barring the Associated Press from the presidential pool and moving to shut down the Voice of America broadcaster.
In a typical year the president attends the WHCA dinner to congratulate journalists on their work, give a jokey speech and take it on the chin as a comedian jabs at their expense. But Trump, who has branded the media “the enemy of the people”, gave the dinner a wide berth during his first term and stayed away again this time.
We care deeply about accuracy and take seriously the heavy responsibility of being stewards of the public’s trust.
I’m sorry… what? You cannot honestly say that with a straight face. The fact that journalism in the US has largely folded and been suborned by oligarchs is a big factor in how we got here in the first fucking place.
Sane-washing fascism means you’re enabling fascism, and being a fascist enabler means you’re a fascist.
Journalists do care (most…). It’s not a job for dispassionate people.
It’s publishers and managing editors who are the problem. They represent the institutions. They decide what goes to print
Bunch of pompous placeholders.
Journalists: Trump find loophole to do some awful thing.
The loophole is ignoring the us Constitution.
Journalists: keep saying deportation even though its not even remotely deportation.
Manufactured what?
Journalists search for the truth is a good thing. The problem is the media outlets. They are a business who will sell anything if it is profitable, regardless of what they might do to the society they are serving. Right now hate and divisiveness is hot and it sells, sells, sells.
Blame Reagan (iirc) for nixing the Fairness Doctrine, which required news to be provided daily, as close to truth as possible, on public broadcast. Reagan really was the shit smear that started this poop bobsled off.
They should have not shown up really.
the trump administration is the enemy of the people and the journalists had better align against it before it’s too late
I couldn’t watch it for more than 3 minutes, and I’m a news junkie, just something really off putting about it.
I suppose the walls were lined with masked thugs holding truncheons.
No, just with the Ghosts of Advance Compliance.
