Hundreds of former and retired journalists and eight press freedom groups have called on the White House Correspondents’ Association to stand up to the Trump administration’s recent attacks on freedom of the press at a rescheduled dinner this week, as tensions over media access and press freedom continue to escalate.
The letter, organized by former ABC News correspondent Lisa Stark and producer Ian Cameron, cites specific recent actions by the Trump administration as justification for the urgency of the appeal. The Justice Department issued subpoenas to New York Times journalists who reported on security concerns about the president’s Qatari-gifted Air Force One jet, according to the letter and reporting by the AP.
Those subpoenas extended beyond the reporters themselves, reaching their family members. Additional subpoenas sought phone records of journalists’ spouses and even the mother of one reporter, expanding the scope of the administration’s pressure on the media.
The letter also highlights Trump’s stated threats to revoke broadcast licenses of networks that “refuse to acquiesce to his demands,” signaling broader efforts to control media operations. The groups signing on to the letter include the Society of 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 for Women in Journalism, the Radio Television Digital News Association, and the Media and Democracy Project.
About 520 individual signatories, primarily retired journalists, have added their names to the appeal. Nearly all of them also signed a similar letter issued in April before the first White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, which was cut short when a gunman attempted to assassinate Trump at the Washington Hilton.
“Our message to the White House Correspondents’ Association is now more urgent: 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,” the letter states, according to the AP.
The rescheduled dinner is scheduled for Friday at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Washington, formerly the Trump International Hotel, with enhanced security precautions in place. Trump has confirmed he will attend, calling the decision to proceed “a sign of Strength and Fortitude” on his Truth Social platform.
The letter emphasizes the contradiction between the dinner’s stated purpose and the current climate. “We believe it is hypocritical to celebrate the First Amendment in front of the man who relentlessly attacks it,” the signatories wrote, urging the association’s president, Weijia Jiang, to “condemn the administration’s actions from the podium and pledge to fight all attempts by his administration to undermine this core pillar of a functioning democracy.”
Trump has suggested he may deliver critical remarks at the dinner, though he has not committed to doing so. “I don’t know whether or not I will give the same rather nasty statements, at least as it concerns certain people, but we will soon find out,” he posted on Truth Social.
Sources
- Associated Press — reported on the letter from journalists and press freedom groups calling on the White House Correspondents’ Association to stand up to Trump’s attacks on the press
- U.S. News & World Report — provided full text of the letter, details on the eight press freedom groups, the 520 individual signatories, and Trump’s statements about attending the rescheduled dinner
- The New York Times — reported on the Justice Department subpoenas issued to Times journalists covering Air Force One security concerns
