It was one of the largest gatherings of media in Washington as the British Ambassador Christian Turner and Lady Claire Turner, Spotify’s Chief Public Affairs Officer Dustee Jenkins, and White House Correspondents Insider founder Tammy Haddad hosted a reception in honor of Weijia Jiang, 2025-2026 president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, at the Ambassador’s residence on Thursday night.
CBS executives, including News president and executive editor Tom Cibrowski and new 60 Minutes executive producer Nick Bilton, joined the Washington team including Margaret Brennan, Robert Costa, Nancy Cordes, Sara Cook, Fin Gomez and Isabelle Pellegrino.
Ambassador Turner told the crowd of over 300 administration, media and business leaders, “Both our democracies survive and thrive on accountability. A free press represented by so many of you here tonight. And that’s the heart of our free societies.”
Dustee Jenkins, Spotify, added, “It is wonderful to be surrounded by so many journalists and policymakers and staffers and leaders, and that’s really what we’re all here for. That’s what this is really about.”
Jenkins presented Jiang with a Maggie O’Neill White House print signed, “For Her Courage, Composure, and professionalism in leading the White House Correspondents Association 2025-2026.” I am deeply honored by this recognition, but I want to be clear that it belongs to all of us. I have heard a lot about grace and composure and bravery, but any of that I showed on April 25th, I borrowed from everybody else in that room. And that includes so many of you. You put your personal fears aside to do our jobs, and I still find it hard to look at the videos sometimes to see us in our tuxes, in our gowns, in the briefing room, because there’s a cognitive dissonance. But also, what else would we expect to see? There’s nothing that would stand in the way of us making sure we were asking questions and informing the public at such a critical time.”
Tammy Haddad, veteran TV executive and founder of White House Correspondents Insider, wrapped up the program with a reminder of the important role journalists play in democracy. “A healthy democracy depends on an independent, vigorous press and the relationship between the president and all the reporters. This dinner tomorrow night is a return to those roots. A gathering centered on the enduring importance of that relationship and all the institutions that support it.”
The evening went late with a surprise set by Grammy Award-winning DJ Jazzy Jeff courtesy of Spotify.
The official White House Correspondents Association dinner, or as the Ambassador called it “Season 2” of the dinner, takes place at the Waldorf Hotel on Friday night. The ballroom, which was designed by President Trump when he owned the hotel, seats 600, so it will be primarily news organizations with their teams. Trump Cabinet Secretaries and White House officials are expected to attend.
SPOTTED: Rep. Nicole Malliotakas (R-NY), Sean Cairncross, Kellyanne Conway, Patrick Witt, Chris Klomp, Alex Flemister, James Van Den Berg, Mike Caswell, Senay Bulbul, Rima al Sabah, H.E. Nicole Bintner-Bakshian.
CBS News president Tom Cibrowski, Nancy Cordes, Jonathan Karl, Margaret Brennan, Jacqui Heinrich, Andrea Mitchell, Wolf Blitzer, Nick Bilton, Jennifer Griffin, Shawn McCreesh, Josh Dawsey, Matea Gold, Tyler Pager, Sumi Somaskanda, Leigh Ann Caldwell, Sally Quinn, Caitriona Perry, Michael Beschloss, Adrienne Arsht, Susan Blumenthal, Kinsey Fabrizio, Katie Pavlich, Dmitri Alperovitch, Maureen Hinman, Stephanie Cutter, Susan Fox, Susannah Quinn, Meridith McGraw, Liz Bourgeois, Alexandra Veitch, Katelyn Bledsoe, Christian Garrett, Emily Skor, Jasmine Wright, Sara Fischer, Francesca Chambers, Jeff Mason, April Boyd, Steve Holland, Jeanne Moran, Dominique Yelinski, Marisa Schultz, Olivia Igbokwe, Courtney Rozen, Mario Parker, Colin Moneymaker, Cat Zakrzewski, T.W. Arrighi and Doug Heye.
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