White House Correspondents Insider

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

Former White House Advance Man Josh King Releases The Ultimate Insider’s Guide to Politics

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Cover of Josh King's book --Off Script

Cover of Josh King’s book — Off Script

Off Script is a book that Donald Trump will quote. It takes readers inside the Democratic and Republican parties and their operatives’ tools of the trade.

During the 90’s under President Clinton, King served as Director of Production for Presidential Events in the White House office of communications. King was an important part of the communications team while working at the White House, overseeing and helping execute many iconic moments during President Clinton’s two terms in office. He also helped usher the beginnings of the technological revolution in the 90’s into the White House. King assisted in advancing the President’s messaging and communication through the advent of email and the Internet.

Icons of politics and journalism who are supporting and have lent their names to OFF SCRIPT include: Don Baer, Mike Barnicle, Paul Begala, Jay Carney, Mark Halperin, John Heilemann, Joe Lockhart, Mike McCurry, Mark McKinnon, Brad Meltzer, John Podhoretz, Karl Rove, George Stephanopoulos, Danny Strong, Nicolle Wallace and, Beau Willimon.

You can find his book on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Off-Script-Stagecraft-Spectacle-Political/dp/1137280069/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1457622944&sr=1-3&tag=smarturl-20

Here’s what some have to say about OFF SCRIPT:

“Ever wonder what happens in a presidential campaign when the cameras are off, the doors are closed and no one’s looking? Find out inOff Script, a guide to the messy, ugly and sometimes poignant world of political stagecraft by one of the best practitioners in the business.”

–Jay Carney

“Discreetly leading the way in every campaign are the advance men and women who literally set the stage. Josh King, a Jedi master of that profession, vividly brings the image makers out of the shadows in Off Script.”

–Mark Halperin

“Josh King has been at the top of the campaign game for more than 20 years — and Off Script takes us behind the scenes to show what works, what doesn’t and why. A must read for anyone who works on — or just loves — the Presidential trail.”

–George Stephanopoulos

White House Correspondents' Association Protests Obama White House

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It’s only the 5th year of the Obama Administration but the White House Correspondents’ Association has had enough. The Obama White House has been pushing White House coverage limits by having their own photographer,the great Pete Souza, cover most of his events and distributing his photos instead of the press getting access.The White House communicators are fighting back saying previous administrations have done the same. FishbowlDC’s new editor Patrick Tutwiler shows us the letter.

November 21, 2013

Jay Carney
Press Secretary
The White House

VIA HAND DELIVERY

Dear Mr. Carney:
We write to protest the limits on access currently barring photographers who cover the White House. We hope this letter will serve as the first step in removing these restrictions and, therefore, we also request a meeting with you to discuss this critical issue further. Journalists are routinely being denied the right to photograph or videotape the President while he is performing his official duties. As surely as if they were placing a hand over a journalist’s camera lens, officials in this administration are blocking the public from having an independent view of important functions of the Executive Branch of government. To be clear, we are talking about Presidential activities of a fundamentally public nature. To be equally clear, we are not talking about open access to the residence or to areas restricted, for example, for national security purposes.

The apparent reason for closing certain events to photographers is that these events have been deemed “private.” That rationale, however, is undermined when the White House contemporaneously releases its own photograph of a so-called private event through social media. The restrictions imposed by the White House on photographers covering these events, followed by the routine release by the White House of photographs made by government employees of these same events, is an arbitrary restraint and unwarranted interference on legitimate newsgathering activities. You are, in effect, replacing independent photojournalism with visual press releases.

All of the following events, with the exception of the McCain-Graham meeting, were reported as “read-outs” by the White House with “official” White House photo(s) attached. They illustrate the troubling breadth of the restrictions placed upon newsgathering by the White House to record governmental activity of undisputed and wide public interest:
• On July 10, 2013, the President met with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
• On July 11, 2013, the President met with the Co-Chairs of the U.S. – China Strategic and Economic Dialogue.
• On July 29, 2013, the President met with former Secretary of State Clinton (White House photo also distributed via Twitter).
• On July 30, 2013, the President and Vice President met with Israeli and Palestinian negotiators.
• On August 26, 2013, the President met with African-American Faith Leaders.
• On September 2, 2013, the President met with Senators McCain and Graham.
• On October. 11, 2013, the President and family members met with Pakistani human rights activist Malala Yousafzai, a person of great public interest.
While certain of these events may appear “private” in nature, the decision of the White House to release its own contemporaneous photograph(s) suggests that the White House believes these events are, in fact, newsworthy and not private.

The right of journalists to gather the news is most critical when covering government officials acting in their official capacities. Previous administrations have recognized this, and have granted press access to visually cover precisely these types of events, thus creating government transparency. It is clear that the restrictions imposed by your office on photographers undercut the President’s stated desire to continue and broaden that tradition. To exclude the press from these functions is a major break from how previous administrations have worked with the press.

Moreover, these restrictions raise constitutional concerns. As the Supreme Court has stated, the First Amendment protects “the public and the press from abridgment of their rights of access to information about the operation of their government,” Richmond Newspapers Inc. v. Virginia, 448 U.S. 555, 584 (1980). The fact that there is no access whatsoever only heightens those concerns. As one court has noted in considering a similar restriction: “The total exclusion of television representatives from White House pool coverage denies the public and the press their limited right of access, guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States.” Cable News Network, Inc. v. American Broadcasting Companies, Inc., et al. 518 F.Supp. 1238, 1245 (N.D. GA 1981).

The organizations and individuals signing this letter strongly believe that imposing limits on press access, as your office has done, represents a troubling precedent with a direct and adverse impact on the public’s ability to independently monitor and see what its government is doing.

We consider this a most serious matter and urge you to provide appropriate access for independent photojournalists to all public governmental events in which the President
participates. Again, we see this letter as the first step toward restoring full press access to these events. Accordingly, we request an immediate meeting with you in order to resolve this very serious situation. We ask that you contact Steve Thomma, President of the White House Correspondents’ Association, and Sam Feist, current television pool chair, to set up the meeting.

Thank you.
ABC News
Agence France-Presse
American Society of News Editors
American Society of Media Photographers
Associated Press
Associated Press Media Editors
Associated Press Photo Managers
Association of Alternative Newsmedia
Association of Opinion Journalists
Bloomberg News
CBS News
CNN
Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Fox News Channel
Gannett Co., Inc.
Getty Images
Lee Enterprises, Incorporated
The McClatchy Company
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
National Press Club
National Press Photographers Association
NBC News
New England First Amendment Coalition
News Media Coalition
Newspaper Association of America
The New York Times Company
Online News Association
Professional Photographers of America
Radio Television Digital News Association
Regional Reporters Association
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
Reuters
Society of Professional Journalists
Tribune Company
The Washington Post
White House Correspondents’ Association
White House News Photographers Association
Yahoo! Inc.

Bloomberg & Vanity Fair Do It Again!

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The most exclusive party of the White House Correspondents’ Weekend is the Bloomberg/Vanity Fair After Party.  Back at the French Ambassador’s residence again this year, guests walked by the front lawn covered in tiny multi-colored lights.  New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg was seen talking with Hollywood A-listers including George Clooney, Reese Witherspoon, Charlize Theron, Daniel Radcliffe, Dane DeHaan, Kyle MacLachlan and his wife producer Desiree Gruber, Goldie Hawn, and Kate Hudson.

French Ambassador Francois Delattre and his beautiful wife Sophie welcomed partygoers and bold faced names dominated the rooms. Media toppers included Barbara Walters and David Gregory, Obama notables were David and Susan Axelrod (talking to Ivanka Trump), White House staffers Jay Carney and Alyssa Mastromonaco and Obama Campaign Communications Director Stephanie Cutter. The republican were represented by Ben Ginsberg and Meghan McCain to name a few. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel seemed happy to be back in DC for an evening.

Judd Apatow and his wife actress Leslie Mann, looked shocked to meet Eric Schmidt, the Executive Chairman of Google.

It was another big night for Uggie the dog from “The Artist” who missed the actual WH Correspondents’ Dinner, but was getting lots of love at the Bloomberg/Vanity Fair gala. Goldie Hawn snuggled up with the pup in one of the best moments of the late night gathering.

Guests relaxed, some even kicking off their shoes after a long night of formal speeches and dinner, as the party went on until the early hours of Sunday.  A crowd formed around Ronan Farrow, the son of Woody Allen and Mia Farrow and his friend Obama joke writer, now Hollywood writer, Jon Lovett.

Daniel Radcliffe and Dane DeHaan were chatting with Graydon Carter, Chris Matthews, Salman Rushdie, Kate Upton and Reggie Love.

In the wee hours of the morning Clooney was still talking to friends Kate Hudson, Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann while some politicos just looked on. One media executive was overheard saying at 3am, “I have a rule, I don’t leave if George Clooney is still there.”  That executive left at 3:45am and George Clooney was still there.

Matthew Morrison Releases First Solo Album & Will Tour in DC This Summer

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Matthew Morrison with White House Press Secretary Jay Carney (Left) and Rachel Goslins (Right), Executive Director of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities at the Bloomberg/Vanity Fair WHCD After-party

White House Correspondents’ Garden Brunch friends, Glee star and White House Correspondents’ Dinner guest, Matthew Morrison, has finally released his first album.

Morrison was profiled in USA Today where his broadway and TV show colleagues boast about his musical talent, calling him a “quadruple threat.”

The album is now available for purchase on iTunes.

One of Morrison’s Glee co-stars, Darren Criss, stopped by the studio for some impromptu jamming – check out the video below (PerezHilton.com).

Tickets are still available for his July 6 appearance at DC’s DAR Constitution Hall.