More than 500 veteran and former journalists are calling on the White House Correspondents’ Association to forcefully defend freedom of the press when President Trump attends the rescheduled annual dinner on Friday, July 24, citing an escalating pattern of administration attacks on journalists and press freedom.
The letter, organized by former ABC News correspondent Lisa Stark and executive producer Ian Cameron, urges the WHCA to “forcefully stand up for freedom of the press in front of the President, publicly defend the journalists he attacks, and vow to resist his administration’s concerted effort to undermine the First Amendment.”
This renewal of calls comes as the administration has intensified its pressure on the news media in recent weeks. On July 10, the Trump administration subpoenaed several New York Times reporters who wrote about security concerns with the new Air Force One jet, a Qatari-donated aircraft. The New York Times condemned the move as a “brazen act” that violates constitutional protection of freedom of the press, according to reporting from The New York Times.
The administration’s actions have expanded beyond that initial subpoena. On July 20, The New York Times reported that the Trump administration also subpoenaed phone records of several New York Times journalists and their relatives, which the newspaper called an “attempt to intimidate journalists and chill their ability to report on the administration.”
The letter detailed numerous other recent attacks on press freedom. President Trump called for ABC and NBC to lose their “broadcast licenses” after the networks declined to air his live primetime address. In April, the FCC’s chairman ordered Disney to submit early license renewals for its eight owned television stations, a highly unusual request that followed a Jimmy Kimmel comment that angered the administration. The administration also announced plans on July 16 to drastically shorten visas for foreign journalists, according to the letter.
The Pentagon has also moved to restrict reporter access, requiring journalists to be accompanied by an official escort—a practice a federal judge in July determined violated the First Amendment and temporarily halted, according to reporting cited in the letter.
The April dinner was abruptly ended after a gunman attempted to breach a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton ballroom, with a Secret Service agent struck by a bullet into his protective vest. Cole Tomas Allen, the alleged gunman, pleaded not guilty to a series of charges, including attempted assassination of the president. The event has been rescheduled for July 24 at a smaller venue at the Waldorf Astoria and will include remarks from Trump, presentation of awards and scholarships, and entertainment from mentalist Oz Pearlman.
The WHCA responded in a statement: “The White House Correspondents’ Dinner exists because the First Amendment matters most when it’s under pressure. As we continue to celebrate America’s 250th birthday, our choice to gather as journalists, newsmakers and the president in the same room is a reminder of what a free press means to this country—and why it must endure.”
Signatories to the journalist letter include major press freedom organizations such as the Society for Professional Journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists, the National Association of Black Journalists, the National Press Photographers Association, the Freedom of the Press Foundation, the Coalition of Women in Journalism, the Radio Television Digital News Association, and the Media & Democracy Project. Prominent veteran journalists including former CBS News anchor Dan Rather and former ABC News co-host Ann Curry also signed the letter.
The call for a forceful public stance at the dinner reflects the broader tension between Trump and the press corps. During his first term, Trump became the first president to skip the dinner in more than 30 years, citing what he described as the press’s treatment of him. Trump previously attended in 2011, when then-President Barack Obama delivered a lengthy roast over his “birther” conspiracy theories.
Sources
- Yahoo News Canada / Deadline — Journalists’ letter to WHCA, details of April shooting, rescheduled dinner venue and format, WHCA statement, signatory organizations, and recent press freedom attacks
- USA Today — Coalition of 200-plus journalists’ initial call for WHCA to defend press freedom, signatory organizations, historical context on presidential attendance
- New York Post — Details of 250+ journalists’ letter demanding forceful opposition, signatory journalists including Dan Rather and Ann Curry, Trump’s prior attendance history
- The New York Times — Subpoenas issued to journalists on July 10 and July 11 over Air Force One reporting
- The New York Times — July 20 reporting on DOJ subpoenas of phone records of journalists and relatives
- PBS NewsHour — DOJ sought phone records of NYT journalists in Air Force One security report investigation
- Politico — DOJ subpoenas in Air Force One probe included journalists’ families
