Drawing The White House Correspondents’ Dinner

Celebrating the First Amendment

The White House is the people’s house. No matter who is living in it at any given time, it is the responsibility of the press to cover what’s going on inside and around the house. Every year, The White House Correspondents’ Association, holds a dinner to celebrate the First Amendment, without which they could not do their job. Historically at the black tie affair, the president shows up and gives a speech. It’s all in good fun, and the press and the president tease each other. However this year Donald Trump decided not to attend, for reasons only he knows (but I can guess).

I was very fortunate to attend as part of the CBS team, and I promised I would draw what I saw. And I did — up to a point. The event was so huge that I found it a bit overwhelming. I did what I could until my producer said, “relax and enjoy the party!” Not that I wasn’t enjoying it as I drew; I just had a certain amount of internal tension trying to decide what and who to draw.

There was a CBS pre-party in a tent, and it was jam packed. Hard to find a position with a view other than someone’s shoulders or bald spot.

When we walked to the dining room, the stage was quite a distance from where I was to sit; a banner saying “White House Correspondents’ Association: Celebrating the First Amendment” decorated the simple yellow curtain, and a band played as we arrived. I wandered around before sitting down to eat.

I saw many people taking photographs.

The dinner was delicious . I was at a table of ten people, and there must have been over 100 tables. A highlight was that each table had beautiful little “First Amendment” pins for attendees.

After the food had been served, the program began. It included the bestowing of scholarships to worthy young journalists, and the president of the WHCA spoke eloquently about the importance of journalists in today’s political environment.

Perhaps most exciting for me were the speeches of Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, the two journalists from the Washington Post who broke the Watergate story. Having grown up in Washington DC during that time period, the importance of a free and aggressive press was indelibly impressed in my brain. It was thrilling to hear them speak, and to be in the same room with them.

Finally, as is traditional, a comedian roasted the press and the politicians. This year, it was Hasan Minhaj from Comedy Central’s The Daily Show. He was absolutely hysterical; very on point, not overly mean or blue, perfectly mixing humor and seriousness about the current administration and media climate. He roasted CNN, MSNBC, ABC, Fox, as well as Trump, Hillary and more. It seemed as though he was very well enjoyed by most of the room.

I was very honored to be there, and was given a great seat. I plan to figure out a way to go back and sit closer to the front next year so I can draw Wolf Blitzer drinking champagne.