White House Correspondents Insider

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

Celebrating 20 Years: 2011 Garden Brunch

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David and Susan Axelrod (middle) and Rupert Murdoch (right)

2011 represented a remarkable year of change for the Garden Brunch. The event moved from its historic location in the Palisades of Washington, D.C. to a new location: the historic Georgetown Beall-Washington House, the residence of Washington Post publisher Katherine Graham. Co-presented by the residence’s current owner, Mark Ein, the Garden Brunch spread itself out into yet another staple of Washington’s architectural history.

Hollywood guests included Academy Award winner Dustin Lance Black, “Glee” star Matthew Morrison, “Gossip Girl’s” Chase Crawford, The Social Network’s Joe Mazzello, Jeremy Piven and Modern Family’s Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Also representing the entertainment industry were Joan Rivers, Morgan Fairchild and Rosario Dawson among others.

Attending their first Brunch, Sarah and Todd Palin made a huge impression. Seen mingling with President Obama’s political strategist David Axelrod, CURE epilepsy’s Susan Axelrod and many other Washington correspondents–both White House and political.

Olympic snowboarder phenom Shaun White was visible among the crowd, as were media moguls like Sean Parker, David Carr and Twitter co-founder Evan Williams.

The brunch happeneda week before Mother’s Day, which let co-chairs Wendi Murdoch and Susan Axelrod take the opportunity to honor all mothers by honoring The White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood and CURE: Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy at the reception. Take a look at the video below:

2011 White House Correspondents’ Garden Brunch from whcinsider on Vimeo.

PR Firm asks Politico's Mike Allen "Are You Media?"

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Politico's Mike Allen recording the program
edit: Yes, in the original we said “Mike Ryan.” It’s because we were reading HuffPost Entertainment.

This seems to be too crazy even for the week leading up to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday. Politico reports that the actual White House Correspondents’ Association overnighted a trademark lawsuit to GBK Productions (which Politico provides here). The source of the lawsuit? A gifting suite that GBK is co-partnering with The Creative Coalition that’s called “GBK & The Creative Coalition White House Correspondence [sic] Weekend Gift Lounge.”

This goes against the trademark of the WHCA and gives visiting celebs the false impression that their dinner hosts would be providing free swag from “the St. Regis Bora Bora, Made by Survivors handmade jewelry, Lovelinks by Aagaard jewelry, EyeWalker Elements Aromatic Botanical Alchemy (a.k.a.., perfume) , Jorg Gray watches ‘and more'” according to today’s Playbook.

To further dig a knife into the wound, when Mike Allen tried to inquire further he was met with the age-old response given to online journos since 2004: “Are you media?” And given the always charming response from another GBK representative: “If you’d like to RSVP, follow the instructions on the email. Any other questions, we have no comment.”

It seems silly that a gifting firm wouldn’t look into possible legal issues if they name themselves after the weekend festivities they’re attending. Even sillier is asking whether or not a company like Politico are press. Maybe Tom Brokaw wasn’t wrong when he took the encroaching celebrity aspect of the dinner to task? Or maybe it’s far too late as our annual fete for journalists–now the worst ranked job of 2013–comes calling.

Washington Examiner Shutters Yeas and Nays, Will Become Weekly Magazine

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The Washington Examiner is shutting down in June and relaunching itself as a weekly political magazine. The news trickled out earlier today over Twitter and became a full-on torrent once layoffs hit the Examiner newsroom:

The Local section’s closure was announced and publicized this morning. The plan to completely reformat the paper came a few hours later as the memo was circulated to the Washington City Paper along with the 87 staffers being laid off. The new Examiner “will offer news, analysis, investigative reporting and commentary on issues affecting national legislation and policy across a number of key areas” according to a press release from Examiner owner Clarity Media Group.

This means the loss of Yeas and Nays‘ Nikki Schwab and Alicia Cohn. While the site will probably stay up in some form, it’ll be without the two voices that cover the side rooms of The Jefferson, grilling Jake Tapper on his guffaws or Sandra Day O’Connor’s history of beer and chalupas.

Biden Abroad Leaves White House Pool Wanting

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While most of Washington slept, Vice President Joe Biden was off in Rome amusing the White House Press Pool.

The first dispatches from Rome came in at 3:06 a.m. eastern time:

“Gorgeous Rome morning, a few stray clouds, no coat necessary despite a slight chill — after the rain of the past couple of days. Pool/staff drove to VP’s Rome digs. It’s the Villa Richardson — the official residence of the US Ambassador to the Holy See (a post that is currently vacant). Pool is having coffee in the basement kitchen.”

It only grew from there:

“Arrived St Peter’s 8:08 am local. Did not see VP but am told only he and delegation allowed to walk past uniformed Swiss guards through the basilica of St Peter. Staff/press escorted around.”

The mystery of where Veep Biden was would become an ongoing issue for the Pool:

“Are told VP Biden will have a front row seat in the official delegation section (right side of the altar when looking at the basilica). But have yet to spot him.”

“Press area is a Tower of Babel — Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and others your pooler cannot identify.”

Even during the service, the Pool had to merely assume Biden was in attendance:

“The VP is sitting on an aisle seat and his sister Valerie is sitting next to him, according to the VP’s office. We cannot spot him from our bird’s-eye perch.”

and finally:
“Took off about 1:40 pm Rome time. Landed Ramstein Air Base in Germany at 3:10 pm local. Refueling stop. It’s raining. No VP encounter on this short leg. Should note that VP ended up more in the middle of the delegations at the mass. Previous pool suggested he might end up at the front.”

Biden is on his way back to the United States and will next be speaking in New York at the Irish America Hall of Fame luncheon on Thursday. The Press Corps will undoubtedly have an easier time keeping track of him in the Big Apple.

Politico Pro Bono Later This Month

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Politico has announced Politico Pro will become a free quarterly magazine while keeping exclusive web-only content for subscribers. Fishbowl NY announced the new quad-nual publication from Allbritton. While it is hyperlocal in covering catch-all issues like energy, technology, lobbying and health care with the slogan “We’ll spare you the boring, jargon-laden stories,” Pro has built itself steadily online over the last year.

Nieman points out the “pricing starts at $3,295 per year. But most Pro subscribers are part of a group membership, and those start at around $8,000 per year for licensing content from a single vertical to five people.” Share the content and you get banned. It’s like all the giddy exclusivity from 2003 of having Hotline sent to your Blackberry and printed for your daily media packet at 6 a.m.

You can hardly put a cost on information in Washington if you recall the exorbitant fees for Hotline. Even if, in the case of “House of Cards,” that information is incorrect it’s still the sexy type of power that makes folks want to eat ribs and address an unseen fourth wall. Still, if Politico Pro could tell us where to find decent ribs to eat while lamenting our attempts to be Secretary of State, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad? We’ll wait to see when the new quarterly “will be distributed on Friday, March 22 to every member of Congress, the White House and all federal agencies as well as to 160 newspaper boxes and 100 Washington-area Starbucks. Like POLITICO’s newspaper, the magazine will be free with a circulation of nearly 40,000.”

“When we launched POLITICO Pro in 2011 our mission was to deliver exclusive, ahead-of-the-curve reporting and dominate coverage of the most important policy areas,” said POLITICO Chief Revenue Officer Roy Schwartz. “We are thrilled with how quickly Pro became the essential news source for thousands of policy professionals working at the country’s most influential organizations.”

If you’re feeling particularly generous via social media, you can always use their hashtag: #GoPro2013.

Sequester Goes Too Far With White House Tour Cancelation

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Starting March 9th, the sequester will take one of Washington’s few government benefits: the Official White House Tour.

Talking Points Memo confirmed, re-confirmed and then followed up with the White House phone reservation system:

What does The Daily Caller’s related article have to say about this? (“RELATED: Bob Woodward claims President Barack Obama lied repeatedly about sequester trigger”).

With hours to go before Washingtion is buried under the Snowquester who knows what terrible non-important fallout we’ll experience?

Washington Media Types Desperate for a Judd/McConnell Campaign

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Ambassador Melanne Verveer, Ashley Judd, Aparajita Gogoi, Nthabiseng Tshabalala, Baroness Amos, Maria S. Eitel

If only there were an easier way to introduce a Capitol Hill hopeful instead of Washington’s normal trial-by-flame-war. But with the chum in the 2013 waters that Ashley Judd, daughter of of Naomi Judd and actress, could be gunning for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s Kentucky seat. Politico sites GOP insiders and The Daily Caller sites NSFW Mr. Skin for their facts about the potential candidate. And yet how bored everyone must be of the sequester by asking if her running is harmful for Democrats or how “Team Mitch” already is reminding potential voters Judd lives in Tennessee:

And then there’s Juan Williams, who is best presented without context:

“Some Tea Party activists consider McConnell too moderate because he negotiated on deals that led to tax increases and the unpopular sequestration cuts. A tough GOP primary could split Kentucky Republicans and cause him to spend lots of money, weakening him before an election fight against Judd.”

So McConnell’s toughest fight is the former star of Double Jeopardy because he’s in trouble with the Tea Party? While this isn’t anything new for an actress–i.e. remember that thing you said about mining and rape from 2010? The Internet does!–here’s hoping that Judd will weigh in about her own future. In her own words.

It must get exhausting for her to be told all about her future at 317 Russell before she’s even announced an official candidacy.

The First Super #Seriously White House Correspondents Dinner Request of 2013

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Forget the upcoming sequester/spendopocalypse. 2013 is officially the year it’s ok to ask out potential dates to Nerd Prom.

Daily Inteligencer caught the first awkward advances through Twitter earlier this morning. Buzzfeed was standing on the other side of the Internet, fiddling with their cat-laden Trapper folder filled with notes about 15 things from 15 years ago, rumors about Bobby Jindal and a list of 42 people you won’t believe exist copied on every page of their Trapper Keeper. And then he came in.

A legendary figure on the sports team. A titan of self-promotion and popularity, able to disappear and reappear without a second thought. Jose Canseco showed up on the Internet. So Buzzfeed–rather their press director–asked the jock out. And in true Buzzfeed fashion it worked (except when it didn’t but it probably did). While Canseco did say he has “always wanted to go to that dinner” he also “bet I could track dick lugar down there. set it up!”

Canseco went further when Buzzfeed political reporter Andrew Kaczynski stressed the former baseball star should show. “wouldnt [sic] miss it buddy. while there point out some super committee members so I can kick their ass for this damn sequester,”Canseco tweeted.

Shockingly this marks the first public semi-confirmation for an organization’s guest list to this year’s Correspondents Dinner. While Conan O’Brien was announced yesterday via White House Correspondents Chairman Ed Henry’s Twitter to take another crack at hosting, this marks the first time a media organization reached out so publicly to a potential guest. Even more interesting: does this mean Buzzfeed has a table at this year’s dinner, or just the usual set of tickets a group can purchase? If so, it seems like the cancelation of Reuters TV freed up a ton of space after all.

A Look Back At Conan O'Brien and the White House Correspondents Dinner

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We’re hoping the jokes get updated when Conan O’Brien comes back to D.C. in April. The newly announced host for this year’s White House Correspondents Dinner is no stranger to Beltway politics. He first showed up here in 1995 to toast then-President Bill Clinton along with WHC Chairman and former Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau Chief/current columnist Carl Leubsdorf.

“For God’s sake, it’s Saturday night,” O’Brien said in his earlier monologue. “Go outside! Meet a woman! There are things you can do. I want to say though I am–higher ratings tan mine–very honored to be apart of this event tonight. When I got this invitation, I was thrilled to be speaking in the same room as the most powerful man in the country. But then I heard Judge Ito canceled, but you move on!”

You can watch the full video below from C-Span and relive Coco’s old mop top:

Conan O'Brien Returns as Host of White House Correspondents Dinner

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Late night comes back to the White House Correspondents Dinner with Conan O’Brien. The TBS host that once called NBC home is coming to D.C. to preside over the 2013 WHC Dinner on April 27th according to–of all places–Ed Henry‘s Twitter.

The 2013 Chairman went on the social media platform rather than the origination’s own website, which still hasn’t been updated. Henry followed up on his Twitter, citing that O’Brien “was terrific at ’95 correspondents dinner w/[sic]Clinton[.]”

This will mark the second time that the self-described “Basic Cable” host will stand at the Hinckley Hilton dais. Unfortunately, he still has two more times to go until he ties the current record holder for most performances (Jay Leno). Over on O’Brien’s official site, Henry gave a more formal remark:

“Conan is one of televisions most innovative and influential talents and I am absolutely thrilled that he has agreed to be this year’s featured act,” said Henry. “As social media has changed all aspects of the media business, Conan has embraced this shifting landscape to become a creative force both online as well as in the traditional television model. We are grateful that Conan will be also be using that creativity to bring more attention to the WHCA’s commitment to helping needy journalism students.”