I went to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner for the first time. Here’s what it was like
I was a guest last week with the Young Writers luncheon group, and when I told them about my weekend plans, they immediately asked if I planned to write about it. It hadn’t occurred to me, but I’m glad they made the suggestion, because it helped me take more mental notes and photos during what was truly an incredible experience.
Affectionately known as “nerd prom,” the White House Correspondents’ Dinner was held Saturday evening at the Washington Hilton, and I was honored to be invited, along with several other editors of McClatchy papers.
McClatchy, like other news organizations across the country, has tables at the annual dinner that raises money for the White House Correspondents’ Association’s scholarships. The paper ticket I was handed on Friday — one of 2,600 distributed for this year’s event — had me at table No. 52.
But first, the preparation. Nerd affiliation or not, it’s still a glitzy affair, with “black tie” clearly stated on the ticket. I found my dress at Formalities in Bellefonte during actual prom season.
Like all big events, the anticipation started early. We stayed right in the Washington Hilton, and there was a buzz in the air on Saturday that hadn’t been there when we checked in on Friday. The McClatchy crew met in the lobby before going out to lunch, and while there I saw Jax and Brittany of “Vanderpump Rules” fame. I was hoping the celeb sightings would get more exciting.
When we got back from lunch, the hotel was mid-transformation.
I had to show both my room card and ID to security and answer some questions before being let back in, and I decided I wouldn’t leave again. The pro-Palestine protesters were not there at that point, but I could hear them later from my ninth-floor room.
The rest of the afternoon was nails, hair, makeup, and I went back to the lobby at 6 p.m., transformed myself. Many photos were taken, including those in front of a WHCA backdrop that made it look like we were on the red carpet. Instead of flashing lightbulbs, it was someone holding your phone to take the photos. If you wanted more or group photos, you had to get back in line. The real red carpet was downstairs.
Then we all started to migrate toward the ballroom, a herd of people dressed to the nines. That took quite a while, and we were all told to have our tickets out.
Finally we arrived — a massive ballroom with a map of the table setup. People started to file in — a true who’s who of national media. Lester Holt, Wolf Blitzer, Al Roker, Kaitlan Collins, etc. There were lots of politicians — Sen. John Fetterman was at a nearby table — and a very random mix of celebrities. Some I saw up close, like Fran Drescher, and others from afar, like Jon Hamm. There were others who I looked for but did not see, like Chris Pine.
At one point I attempted a lap through the ballroom for this exact purpose, but I kept getting stuck because the tables were so close together and most people were still standing up.
The dinner program started at 8 p.m., and the food was OK and probably what you’d expect from an event tasked with feeding thousands of people at once.
After dessert was served, the awards were presented and scholarship recipients were recognized. The room came to its feet when journalists from Frontline, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica were awarded the Collier Prize for their collaborative reporting on the chaotic response to the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, in May 2022.
Then the headliners: President Joe Biden gave his speech, which included many digs at former President Donald Trump, and Colin Jost of “Saturday Night Live” was the featured entertainer. I see his stand-up comedy has been getting mixed reviews, and there were definitely parts that fell flat. CNN caught me laughing at at least one of his jokes, though.
The WHCD is a celebration of the First Amendment, and that was still clear through the glitz and glamour. The award winners were inspiring and the calls to bring home detained journalists were moving.
During Biden’s remarks, he invited us to raise our glasses in a toast: “To a free press, to an informed citizenry, to an America where freedom and democracy endure.”
It was an overwhelming moment as I looked around a room of those who fight for a free press everyday, who have risked their lives for it and inspire and teach the next generation of journalists (plus Jax and Brittany).
