The New Republic has backed off plans for a contest to award 1 ticket to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner for a lucky new subscriber. The contest included a roundtrip ticket and hotel accommodations for the April 28th event, but the magazine canceled the contest after being told it violated the rules of the White House Correspondents’ Association.
According to a written statement, “After being informed by W.H.C.A. that our offer was in conflict with their policies, The New Republic has suspended this campaign. Our editors look forward to attending the dinner at the end of the month.”
The annual dinner raises money for scholarships and to “honor the professional recipients of the WHCA’s journalism awards” and the association does not approve of other organizations raffling off tickets for commercial purposes.
Hollywood stars descending on DC for the dinner include George Clooney and his girlfriend Stacy Keibler; Steven Spielberg and his wife, actress Kate Capshaw; Academy award winning actresses Reese Witherspoon and Viola Davis, and more.