More than 250 journalists, including Ann Curry, Sam Donaldson and Dan Rather, and journalism organizations are urging theWhite House Correspondents Associationto “forcefully demonstrate opposition” to President Donald Trump at the annual dinner set to take place this weekend.
Ahead of theWhite House Correspondents’ dinner,which Trump is set to attend for the first time as president,the journalists issued a reminder that thepresident has repeatedly attacked the mediaand threatened to silence reporters over the last year.
“The dinner has long served as a symbol of the vital and irreplaceable role of afree press in American democracyand a celebration of the First Amendment and the journalists who uphold it,” the letter read. “President Trump’s systematic, sustained, and unprecedented attacks on the free press render his presence at such an event a profound contradiction of its purpose.”
The letter suggested a member of the White House Correspondents’ Association make a forceful defense of freedom of the press and condemn those who attack the media.
“Speak forcefully, in front of the man who seeks to undermine our country’s long tradition of independent, strong, and free press,” the letter read.
It’s unclear if the White House Correspondents’ Association plans to make a verbal statement at the dinner.
The Independenthas asked the White House Correspondents’ Association for comment.
The dinner is a long-held tradition in which journalists, lawmakers, celebrities, advocates and more come together to raise money for the Correspondents’ Association scholarships and award journalists for their work.
Traditionally, the president and members of the administration attend the dinner, which typically features a comedian host performing a “roast.”
However, Trump’s contentious relationship with the media has always kept him away. Trump refused to attend the dinner during his first administration and declined to attend the event last year.
Source: Drudge Report
