D.C. hits "pause"
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This year's Nerd Prom was nerdier than usual: There was lots less Hollywood, and lots more focus on the First Amendment and a free press — the bedrock beneath the glitz and frenzy of White House Correspondents' Dinner weekend.
Why it matters: White House aides have tried to sideline the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA), as part of battling the mainstream press. So President Trump and top administration officials skipped the dinner.
- But when you looked around this weekend, you saw the resilience of American journalism. And Washington partied on with its annual reunion of celebrities, politicians and journalists.
Axios' Alex Thompson, accepting the WHCA's top award, talked about the need for journalistic truth-telling about both parties — and the importance of the media bluntly admitting its own shortcomings.
- "To my bones, I believe that reporting and the White House Correspondents' Association is as necessary as ever," Thompson said as he accepted the Aldo Beckman Award for Overall Excellence in White House Coverage.
Thompson was recognized for aggressive reporting on former President Biden. The judges said his body of work "revealed that the president's cognitive decline was impacting his ability to do his job, information the White House tried to conceal."
- Thompson — who is co-author with CNN's Jake Tapper of a book coming May 20, "Original Sin," about Biden's decline — said in his acceptance remarks: "President Biden's decline, and its cover-up by the people around him, is a reminder that every White House, regardless of party, is capable of deception. But being truth-tellers also means telling the truth about ourselves. We, myself included, missed a lot of this story. And some people trust us less because of it."
"We bear some responsibility for faith in the media being at such lows," Thompson added, to applause. "I say this because acknowledging errors builds trust — and being defensive about them further erodes it. We shoulda done better."
- "I believe our mission is vital in a world where people are struggling to figure out what's true — and people with power are not telling the truth."
The Associated Press, in a court battle with the White House over access restrictions, won two big awards: for Presidential News Coverage under Deadline Pressure (winning entry) and for State Government Accountability (full series).
- Zeke Miller, AP chief White House correspondent, said: "We at AP remain committed as ever to accurate, independent, nonpartisan journalism — to carrying light the world over."
ABC's Rachel Scott, honored for her "unflappable and authoritative" coverage from the scene of last July's assassination attempt on Trump, said: "May we continue to uphold the responsibility of bearing witness, no matter where the story takes us."
