Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the government’s chief expert on infectious diseases, chose not to go to dinner because of the obvious danger. Organizers demanded that all guests be vaccinated, boosted and tested negative before attending, although few wore masks other than staff. As a concession to the potential danger, Mr. Biden, who is 79 years old in the high-risk age group, missed dinner and came only for the part of the evening.
But his presence was meant to be a return to normalcy after Mr Trump’s war with the media. While Mr Biden, like other presidents, complained about his coverage, sometimes throwing himself at reporters asking questions that did not interest him, he said he intended his decision to be present to reaffirm his support for free Press.
“The free press is not the enemy of the people,” Biden said. “It simply came to our notice then. At your best, you are guardians of the truth. ” He cites in particular those who gave their lives in reports from the battlefields of Ukraine, which he reminded of the importance of journalism.
However, the president gently rebuked the journalists, urging them to avoid sensations and banality. “The First Amendment provides the free press with exceptional protection,” he said, “but with it comes, as many of you know, a very heavy obligation to seek the truth as much as you can, not to inflame or entertain, but to illuminate and educate.”
“There is tremendous pressure on all of you to deliver warmth instead of shedding light,” he said, adding, “American Democracy is not a reality show.”
The Correspondents Association sought to add a serious touch to the evening’s celebrations by honoring two black women pioneers of the White House press office, Alice Dunigan and Ethel Payne, who were two of only three African-American journalists who regularly reported on the White House. in the 1950s. He also paid tribute to journalists killed in Ukraine and named the family of Austin Theiss, a reporter who was abducted in Syria in 2012.
But otherwise, the event resumed its status as Washington’s flagship exercise in abundance, surrounded by days of fancy, expensive, alcohol-filled parties held in the city late at night, gathering members of the political class with reporters and casual meetings. in Hollywood, Wall Street and other American institutions.
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