White House Correspondent's Dinner

I love the White House Correspondent’s Dinner. I really do. President Obama’s bits during the past two years have been delightfully biting commentaries on the absurdities of the current political atmosphere, and Stephen Colbert’s 2006 roast of the Bush administration was the stuff of legend. Much as I love the event though, I can’t help but look at certain criticisms levied at it and admit to a certain begrudging agreement.

The main criticism I see is that the Dinner serves to reinforce the concerning chumminess between the White House and its Press Corps. Like a sort of regulatory capture, the journalists of the Press Corps are wooed by promises of access and schmoozing at the increasingly glamorous ceremony. You’re far less likely to doggedly pursue a line of questions or critically dissect an administration if you’re worried about preserving your invitation to the year’s big blowout.