The criticism that the dinner constitutes an exchange of favors between the political, celebrity and journalistic classes misses the point. The politicians see the dinner mostly as an obligation. The celebrities see it mostly as a disappointment. A few years ago comedian Larry David attended. When he was asked to come again he said no, adding that you have to be a dinner virgin to attend in the first place. George Clooney said he was surprised when his car pulled up to a hotel: He thought the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner was at the White House, not in a basement ballroom with 2,500 other people. I don’t think he was joking.
The better criticism of the dinner is financial, not political: While hundreds of our colleagues have lost their jobs and news budgets have been slashed, we are spending a king’s ransom to create the illusion that we are important.
For many years, I wanted so badly to be invited to the dinner that, long after I got on all the right lists, I was blind to how earnest and self-congratulatory it was. So depending on how you look at it, my history either undermines my credibility or bolsters my authority. (I prefer to take the latter view.)
Either way, my conclusion is the same: More than anything else, what this weekend shows is that we in the news media have forgotten our mission to afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted. Please, next year, could we take all the money we spend on parties and give it to causes worthier than our own?
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