the citizen-viewer

At last a major newspaper has recognized the impropriety of attending the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, where every year journalists and White House honchos rub elbows and make jokes at the expense of the citizen-viewers. Let’s hope it’s the first of many.

The New York Times let slip via a Frank Rich column that it would not longer buy tables at the annual display of unseemly collegiality between the comfortable and those we wish would afflict them. Instead of sucking up to them, that is.

At least, we’d like to think it’s because of the impropriety. Presumably it’s not just that the Times can’t afford the two tables anymore. Andy Rosenthal, the Times’s editorial page editor, Rosenthal told E&P that attending the dinners is not the worst thing D.C. staffers can do, but “it becomes more and more of a problem because it has become more public.” This citizen-viewer imagines that what they do in private, whatever it is, is disgusting and should be stopped.

As to the conflict of interest, former WHCA president Ron Hutcheson carped as follows:

“It is driven by a misperception, largely in the blogosphere, that because we are civil to each other, we forget what our role is, which is ridiculous,” Hutcheson said. “Especially in these times, we need civility. The whole reason you get a guest like Karl Rove is to get what you can from Karl Rove.”

As if journalists have to look for opportunities to “get” something from Karl Rove. As we’ve seen, they get from Karl Rove what he wants to give them, when he wants to give it to them.

The White House loves the correspondents’ dinner and the similar Gridiron Club dinner because they reinforce a social relationship between the administration the reporters who cover it, and make reporters less inclined to offend. That’s not the reporters’ fault, it’s human nature.

Even at last year’s dinner, when Stephen Colbert skewered President Bush, some in the press felt he went too far. It was uncivil, even rude. In that reaction lies the problem with showing up these dinners for any reason other than to walk out.

(In fact, Colbert’s appearance played right into the hands of the White House — Bush was ridiculed by a certified member of the East Coast Liberal Media Elite, and took it with good humor, proving himself a regular guy twice over.)

Journalists can’t participate in these social events without being tainted. If the event didn’t serve the White House’s interests, you know, the President wouldn’t show up.