There’s been a lot of grumbling in the political media regarding the White House Correspondents Association, and some of it has spilled over into other outlets.
The controversies are based in several stories. The one that’s gotten the most press in the last few days is the WHCA cancelling Amber Ruffin’s appearance at the association’s annual dinner, which draws a lot of journalists, politicians, and some showbiz folk (they even let me in once, back in 1998, and I wrote about it here). Ruffin, a writer and regular on Seth Meyers’ “Late Night,” who used to have her own show on Peacock, was booked two months ago for the traditional comedian’s slot at the event.
Then, this weekend, WHCA President Eugene Daniels said the organization’s board had unanimously decided to go without a comedian this year:
At this consequential moment for journalism, I want to ensure the focus is not on the politics of division, but entirely on awarding our colleagues for their outstanding work and providing scholarship and mentorship to the next generation of journalists.
That’s bullshit. The statement should have read:
We’re really afraid of what Trump might think, even though he’s not going to be there. He might get mad at us and we’re too thin-skinned to handle any of his criticism. So we’re going to bend the knee in the hopes we can stay on his good side.
Bulletin: Trump has no good side. The WHCA’s decision isn’t going to make him look at mainstream journalists in a better light after years of calling them the enemy of the people — and worse. Just look at how he has the White House press office treating them at daily briefings. The biggest and most important news outlets were used to having seats in the front and being recognized first by the press secretary. But Trump ordered his mouthpiece, Karoline Leavitt, to downgrade any reporter who ever said anything he considered bad (regardless of it being true), and has threatened them with the loss of all access.
That would be no great loss because nothing consequential has been said behind the podium of the White House press room in a very long time, and certainly not while Trump has been in office. Do you really need a spokesperson to tell you what Trump blurts out whatever he’s thinking during all night, all caps rants on social media? The man doesn’t need an interpreter, he needs Ambien.
There was an era when being named Chief White House Correspondent made you one of the most important people in a news organization. But for years, those doing the job have been nothing but stenographers, writing down whatever was said and reporting it verbatim. Or, they turned their verbal battles with the press secretary into the story, even though no one outside the beltway cared.
What makes the WHCA’s decision to cancel Ruffin even more ludicrous is they should have known what to expect from her before the booking was made. She’s a sharp, satirical writer and performer who has taken plenty of shots at Trump and his MAGA Morons for a long time.
Apparently, the stick that broke the WHCA’s back was Ruffin telling a Daily Beast podcast last week that, at the dinner, she was going to say exactly what she feels about Trump and his acolytes. Upon hearing that, Daniels announced he was shocked and surprised that a comedian wasn’t going to be “fair,” which is an impossible standard to hold anyone to — especially comics.
That kind of equivalency nonsense is what drives so many of us crazy. When someone reports on the aftermath of a tornado and shows video of trees and houses that were knocked down, you don’t have to put your microphone in the face of someone who claims everything is still standing and no damage was done.
Doing so doesn’t improve a news outlet’s image, it helps destroy it. Being “fair” is not the same as telling the truth.
Monday night, Ruffin made a similar point when she appeared on Meyers’ show to announce she had learned her lesson: