White House Correspondents Insider

Behind the scenes of the most powerful city in the world — Washington, D.C. — and those who cover it.

From People to the Post: Media covers all aspects of WHCD

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Nearly every publication in town — and many even outside of Washington — had their two cents to share about the glitz and glamor of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner weekend. One of the highlights of the weekend was the annual Garden Brunch on Saturday afternoon.

Variety kicked off coverage of the Garden Brunch by mentioning it as one of the premier events of the weekend. The brunch was held at the Beall-Washington House which is owned by businessman Mark Ein, one of the event hosts alongside Tammy Haddad, Hilary Rosen, Kevin Sheekey and David Adler.

POLITICO’s Playbook reported that CNN would be using Facebook Live to cover the brunch in real time. This ended up being quite the success with almost 30,000 people watching footage of the brunch.

People reported that, while at the brunch, Scandal star Katie Lowes was gushing about a jazz concert the cast of Scandal got to attend on Friday night at the White House.

Adweek spotted and mentioned a number of stars who attended the brunch from Uber CEO Travis Kalanick to actor Jeff Goldblum to Valerie Jarrett, advisor to the President. They also mentioned that this year “the party has gotten bigger (more crowded), and the food has gotten better (more desserts).”

USA Today reported that actress Jaimie Alexander debuted her short new haircut, a sleek bob cut, at the Garden Brunch on Saturday morning.

The Washington Post reported that the brunch was the top destination for those visiting town to pre-game for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, but that trying to converse and interact with all the Washington power players felt a little like a ‘workout’. It went on to name almost two dozen of the famous faces who attended and hosted the event.

Last, but not least, Page Six reported that revered English actress Helen Mirren, who has played Queen Elizabeth II on screen, and Tony Goldwyn, who plays the commander-in-chief on Scandal, were both given especially warm welcomes to the brunch by co-host Tammy Haddad.

CNN’s Reliable Sources: WHCD Dinner and Presidential Campaign Coverage

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The morning following the 2016 White House Correspondents’ Dinner, CNN’s Reliable Sources featured Betsy Fischer-Martin, Ron Fournier and Tammy Haddad in a roundtable discussion with host Brian Stelter to talk about the relevance of the annual event. The conversation also included an analysis of this year’s presidential campaign coverage.

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Fischer-Martin commented on how the tone of the dinner has evolved over the past 15-20 years, stating that media used to “invite our own sources” and “had one-on-one access,” which has changed as the Hollywood presence has increased over the years.

Defending the dinner, Haddad stated, “how bad can it be bringing all these people together? It’s getting more people involved in the process.”

Tammy Haddad and Brian StelterDiscussing how presidential campaign coverage has also changed over the years, Haddad said, “what we should also talk about is how reporters covering the Trump campaign have no access. The other thing about Trump is that he calls into shows…he’s so smart because he has figured it out, he can control the show. You have to listen to him until he finishes.”

Fournier commented that reporters need to “stop writing about what he says and how it affects poll numbers, and dig into what he’s really saying,” further suggesting that the media, “needs to hold him (Trump) accountable.”

“Scrutiny is what’s lacking. Candidates no longer do hour long interviews,” explained Fischer-Martin. “Investigative journalism costs money, it’s expensive to produce. A lot of news organizations don’t have those resources anymore.”

Responding to a question about the level of coverage the Trump campaign receives, Haddad said, “this man is running for president. Millions of people are following him. We’re not supposed to carry coverage? Isn’t that our responsibility?”

Cast of Oscar Winning Film ‘Spotlight’ to Attend WHCD with Real-Life Boston Globe Reporters

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The Cast of "Spotlight" Credit: Open Road Films

The Cast of “Spotlight” – Credit: Open Road Films

The White House Correspondents’ Dinner (WHCD) is already one of those rare occasions when Hollywood and Politics come together. It’s even more rare to see actors at Washington’s largest social event sitting right across from the very same reporters who they’ve portrayed in an Oscar winning film!

But that’s exactly what’s going to happen this year at the WHCD with Spotlight, a film based on The Boston Globe‘s real life investigative team, the oldest continuously operating newspaper investigative journalist unit in the United States. Spotlight went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture along with Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards earlier this year.

Along with the real ‘Spotlight’ investigative team on whom the film is based – Boston Globe reporters Walter Robinson, Mike Rezendes, Sacha Pfeiffer, Matt Carroll and Ben Bradlee Jr – the Globe has also invited the film’s Director Tom McCarthy, Screenwriter Josh Singer, as well as actors Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams to attend the dinner at the Washington Hilton this weekend.

Roll Call: Google-HBO Party at Renwick Voted Best WHCD Party of the Weekend

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Actor Bryan Cranston with Director Jay Roach and Producer Monica Levinson at the Newseum in 2015

Actor Bryan Cranston with Director Jay Roach and Producer Monica Levinson at the Newseum in 2015

Everyone knows that the parties surrounding the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner are the most coveted, deeply desired invitations in town. But one can always dream: If you had access to every star-studded affair in town, which would be the fairest one of them all?

This is the exact question that Roll Call asked its readers in an online poll earlier this week. Their verdict: The Google-HBO-Smithsonian party at the Renwick Gallery took the top spot in the poll both for best location and celebrity guest list.

The Renwick, which is usually free and a must see for first-time visitors to Washington, will not be accessible to most people on Friday night. Not only is the Renwick one of the most beautiful, intimate and inspirational spaces in town, but the guest list for the Google-HBO-Smithsonian soiree includes critically acclaimed artists such as Bryan Cranston of “Breaking Bad” fame, and Jay Roach, director of “Meet the Parents.” Cranston also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for “Trumbo” which was directed by Roach, and recently the two teamed up again for HBO’s “All the Way” depicting President Lyndon B. Johnson’s efforts to maneuver members of Congress to support civil rights legislation.

Second place in the voting for best location was the Washington Women in Journalism party, hosted at the Kalorama home of Gloria Story Dittus, and the Tinder-IJ Review-Rock the Vote party at the W Hotel in downtown Washington.

Ranking second for celebrity guest list was the SAG-Variety-Washington Post party on Friday night with the casts of “Black-ish” and “Scandal” expected to be in attendance.

2016 Garden Brunch Celebrates ‘Starting Out and Starting Up’

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gardenbrunch

This weekend’s annual Garden Brunch in honor of White House Correspondents’ Weekend will celebrate the next generation of ‘starting out and starting up.’

On Saturday, April 30, members of the media, Hollywood celebrities and studio heads, business executives, and non-profit leaders will come together to support causes that reflect issues facing our society today.

The brunch will raise awareness for Halcyon Incubator, an organization that supports early stage social entrepreneurs “seeking to change the world” through an immersive 18-month fellowship program.

Dr. Sachiko Kuno, who was recently recognized on the Forbes list of self-made women, was the first woman to receive an Industrial Biochemistry Ph.D. from Kyoto University. She is now CEO of S&R Foundation and has been widely recognized for her contributions to the pharmaceuticals industry. Her “entrepreneurial mind and deep desire to empower social change” is what drives her to support initiatives such as the Halcyon Incubator. The organization supports “talented individuals with great potential and high aspirations in the arts, sciences, and social entrepreneurship, especially those who are furthering their cultural celebration.”

Dr. Kuno’s latest project is to develop the Fillmore School in Georgetown into an arts incubator, which will serve as “a platform to grow talented artists in the fields of fine, visual and performing arts, maintaining the educational use of the building and its place as part of the vibrant arts landscape in the nation’s capital.”

Also in the spotlight will be #PlayfieldInThePark, an initiative supported by Yellow Ribbons United that serves approximately 500 children and teens attending the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) Good Grief Camp and Honoring Our Heroes Camp over Memorial Day Weekend.

The 2016 Garden Brunch is hosted by Tammy Haddad, Kevin Sheekey, Hilary Rosen, Sachiko Kuno, Fred Humphries, Mark & Sally Ein, Constance Milstein, Anita Dunn, Bill Knapp, David Adler, and Franco Nuschese.

Watch the video from the 2015 White House Correspondents’ Garden Brunch below.

WHCD Host Larry Wilmore Set to “Roast” President Obama

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larrywilmore

This year’s host of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Larry Wilmore, host of the “Nightly Show”, spoke with C-SPAN’s Peter Slen ahead of the big event.

“You just want to check and see if the president is laughing. That’s the most important thing. If he’s laughing, you’re doing ok.”

Wilmore also discussed the tone he will set for the show. “It is a roast and people do expect to get ribbed a lot. You’re not really attacking them, you’re roasting them. You’re doing it in a good spirit.”

As for topics Wilmore will discuss he said, “I’ll definitely bring up race, that’s going to be an issue in a lot of different ways. I will bring up the presidential election–lot of things to talk about there. We’ll talk about some people in the room, talk about Obama’s legacy a little bit.”

Hey Larry, tell Donald Trump not to take it too harshly. You can watch Seth Meyers roasting the Donald here.

Volta Insider Episode 9: Ambassador Capricia Marshall

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As White House Correspondents weekend approaches, Volta Insider’s Rachel Greenberg – a podcaster and budding journalist herself – has released the latest episode of her podcast, Volta Insider.

This episode featured a conversation with Ambassador Capricia Marshall who gave Rachel some incredible insights about the inner workings of the White House. From her role as a Special Assistant to First Lady Hillary Clinton, to her time serving as U.S. Chief of Protocol for President Barack Obama, Amb. Marshall has witnessed many a historical moment.

Download the podcast on AudioBoom or iTunes. And be sure to subscribe while you’re there!

WHCD Guest Update: Will Smith and Jada Pinkett + Priyanka Chopra To Join The Party

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Priyanka Chopra

Priyanka Chopra

Men In Black super star and leading Hollywood hunk Will Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith are among the guests of ABC for this weekend’s White House Correspondents Dinner. Also invited to the dinner by ABC is the cast of Scandal including leading stars Kerry Washington, Tony Goldwyn, Scott Foley and creator Shonda Rhimes.

Bollywood bombshell Priyanka Chopra, who is a star of ABC’s new television thriller series Quantico, will also be in attendance at the event, which she recently confirmed via her Twitter account. Chopra has gotten global attention for her portrayal of FBI agent ‘Alex Parrish’ in the American television series that debuted in the fall of 2015.

Chopra has been invited by USA Today and will be seated with model Kendall Jenner and fellow actors Rosario                                                                          Dawson, Neve Campbell and Gabrielle Union.

 

 

 

White House Correspondents’ Association Announces Winners of 2016 Journalism Awards

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The Boston Globe, CBS News, InsideClimate News, the Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post each took home the top prizes in this year’s WHCA awards.

The White House Correspondents’ Association reported the following winners earlier this week:

The winner of the Aldo Beckman Memorial Award for excellence in White House coverage is Carol Lee of the Wall Street Journal. Carol is also president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, which hosts the White House Correspondents Dinner (#WHCD) every year. Lee was not a judge for the awards.

The winner of the Merriman Smith Award for outstanding White House coverage under deadline pressure is Matt Viser of the Boston Globe.

The Winner of the Merriman Smith Award for broadcast journalism is Norah O’Donnell of CBS News.

Last but not least, the Edgar A. Poe Award which recognizes excellence in coverage of events or investigative topics of regional or national interest will be shared this year by Terrence McCoy of The Washington Post and Neela Banerjee, John Cushman Jr., David Hasemyer and Lisa Song of InsideClimate News.

Full list of winners and their bios on the WHCA website.