A top story echoed over the weekend was word that President Donald Trump, in a continuing feud with media, will not attend the White House Correspondents Association dinner on April 29, noted Grumpy Editor.
The annual event traditionally is a night for media and politicians they cover to get together over dinner to share laughs. The dinner in recent years also included celebrities, which some veteran news folks frowned on.
In the past, the routine called for the president to give a comedic presentation (via a speechwriter) followed by a comedian who sprinkled jokes about those at the head table.
In tweeting his non-attendance this year, Trump said, “Please wish everyone well and have a great evening!" It comes in the wake of the president’s continued dislike of "fake news" and reporters' use of anonymous sources.
Reuters correspondent Jeff Mason, who leads the White House Correspondents Association, said the dinner would go ahead as planned.
Linked to the dinner, Bloomberg canceled its separate annual party. Bloomberg usually co-hosts the event with Conde Nast's Vanity Fair, but the magazine pulled out earlier this month.
The New Yorker also canceled its event that evening.
Meanwhile, Washington Examiner columnist Paul Bedard tallied the Trump administration has been slammed with at least one fake or distorted news story a day for 33 days.
In his “Washington Secrets” column, Bedard reported, “President Trump’s claim that he’s been the subject of false and ‘fake news’ stories has been mocked by an eye-rolling media, but a Secrets analysis of Trump coverage reveals that Team Trump has been hit with an average of one false, distorted or denied story a day. Starting on the eve of Inauguration Day, there have been at least 33 often widely reported false stories about the president and his team.”
IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…
Trump potpourri: A Quinnipiac survey found that 52 percent of voters trust the media more than they trust Trump, while 37 percent said they trusted Trump more. Among Democrats, 86 percent said they trusted the media more than the president. But among Republican voters, 78 percent said they trusted Trump more than the media, while 13 percent said they trusted the media more…A Rasmussen Reports poll found 63 percent of adults believe most major news organizations are more concerned with getting a story first than with getting it right, although that's down from 84 percent in September, 2013 when the same question was asked. Twenty nine percent think getting it right is the priority for most major media groups, up from 10 percent in the earlier survey…Meanwhile, former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said "media should calm down" after the Trump White House blocked several news organizations from a question-and-answer session. "Calm down everyone," Fleischer, who served as former President George W. Bush’s top spokesman, tweeted. He added that press secretaries should brief all reporters, but noted that the White House staff often meets with "who they want." He also called on media to "stop hyperventilating" after The New York Times' top editor slammed the White House's decision to exclude multiple outlets, including the Times, from the off-camera press "gaggle”…Nobody called it a Trump market as the Dow on Friday reached its 11th straight record --- edging closer to the 21000 level --- in closing up 11.44 points to 20821.76.
One of the heaviest reported stories of the year, now in its 14th day, is the death via a nerve agent in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia of Kim Jong Nam, exiled older sibling of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un…While print and broadcast media spotlighted the early spring-like weather in sections of the east, none reported that usually warm Las Vegas hit 32 degrees two days in a row late last week…NBC’s 90th anniversary special with a look back at some iconic TV moments, hit series and breakout stars failed to mention news coverage of Korean and Vietnam wars and correspondents teamed with photographers who dodged bullets and incoming shells while reporting from battlefields…Adolf Hitler's telephone was sold at auction in the U.S. for $243,000. Bidder’s name was not released. The phone was presented to Hitler by the Wehrmacht and was used by the Nazi leader to issue most of his commands during the last two years.
Going on the high seas:
A Shanghai shipyard is building China’s first ocean-going cruise ship.
But will it contain a spa?
Comments