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| New Yorker and Vanity Fair Pull Out of Correspondents Dinner Parties | New Yorker and Vanity Fair Pull Out of Correspondents Dinner Parties |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| NEW YORK — The White House Correspondents Dinner has gone from a hoary ritual to the apex of Washington’s social calendar, replete with Hollywood A-listers, tuxedoed television stars and live coverage on the major news networks. | NEW YORK — The White House Correspondents Dinner has gone from a hoary ritual to the apex of Washington’s social calendar, replete with Hollywood A-listers, tuxedoed television stars and live coverage on the major news networks. |
| But like many Washington traditions, things are changing now that President Trump is in town. | But like many Washington traditions, things are changing now that President Trump is in town. |
| The New Yorker is canceling the kickoff party that it usually holds at the W Hotel, according to a spokeswoman for the magazine, Natalie Raabe. Vanity Fair is pulling out of co-sponsoring the dinner’s most exclusive after-party, a celebrity-studded affair most recently hosted at the French ambassador’s residence that is considered the capital’s hottest ticket of the year. | The New Yorker is canceling the kickoff party that it usually holds at the W Hotel, according to a spokeswoman for the magazine, Natalie Raabe. Vanity Fair is pulling out of co-sponsoring the dinner’s most exclusive after-party, a celebrity-studded affair most recently hosted at the French ambassador’s residence that is considered the capital’s hottest ticket of the year. |
| Vanity Fair’s co-sponsor, Bloomberg L.P., is proceeding with its plans for the party, but no final decision has been made on the event, a spokesman said on Thursday. (Bloomberg has previously sponsored the after-party on its own.) | Vanity Fair’s co-sponsor, Bloomberg L.P., is proceeding with its plans for the party, but no final decision has been made on the event, a spokesman said on Thursday. (Bloomberg has previously sponsored the after-party on its own.) |
| “We’ve taken a break from the dinner in the past,” Graydon Carter, the editor of Vanity Fair, wrote in an email, adding that he planned to spend the weekend fishing in Connecticut instead. | “We’ve taken a break from the dinner in the past,” Graydon Carter, the editor of Vanity Fair, wrote in an email, adding that he planned to spend the weekend fishing in Connecticut instead. |
| Mr. Carter, who has feuded with Mr. Trump for decades, was asked whether he had a particular reason for canceling this year’s festivities. “Trump,” Mr. Carter replied, “and the fish.” | Mr. Carter, who has feuded with Mr. Trump for decades, was asked whether he had a particular reason for canceling this year’s festivities. “Trump,” Mr. Carter replied, “and the fish.” |
| Coupled with plans by the comedian Samantha Bee to hold an alternative event on the night of the dinner — scheduled for April 29 — the moves are a sign that the arrival of Mr. Trump is turning off the Hollywood and New York boldface names who flocked to see President Obama at the event in years past. | Coupled with plans by the comedian Samantha Bee to hold an alternative event on the night of the dinner — scheduled for April 29 — the moves are a sign that the arrival of Mr. Trump is turning off the Hollywood and New York boldface names who flocked to see President Obama at the event in years past. |
| And it underscores the awkward nature of the press corps throwing a splashy dinner while covering an administration that has been outwardly hostile to the news media. Mr. Trump and his top aides have lambasted journalists as dishonest and deemed the media as “the opposition party.” | And it underscores the awkward nature of the press corps throwing a splashy dinner while covering an administration that has been outwardly hostile to the news media. Mr. Trump and his top aides have lambasted journalists as dishonest and deemed the media as “the opposition party.” |
| The president, for his part, has not publicly committed to attending. But a senior administration official, who asked for anonymity to describe private discussions, said that the date of the dinner was on Mr. Trump’s calendar and that the president planned to continue the tradition. | The president, for his part, has not publicly committed to attending. But a senior administration official, who asked for anonymity to describe private discussions, said that the date of the dinner was on Mr. Trump’s calendar and that the president planned to continue the tradition. |
| Mr. Trump has a particularly fraught history with the dinner. Back when he was a reality TV star who was questioning Mr. Obama’s place of birth, Mr. Trump endured one of the event’s most brutal roastings on record, delivered by President Obama and the comedian Seth Meyers in 2011. Television cameras captured Mr. Trump looking stone-faced as the jokes poured down. | Mr. Trump has a particularly fraught history with the dinner. Back when he was a reality TV star who was questioning Mr. Obama’s place of birth, Mr. Trump endured one of the event’s most brutal roastings on record, delivered by President Obama and the comedian Seth Meyers in 2011. Television cameras captured Mr. Trump looking stone-faced as the jokes poured down. |
| As a candidate last year, Mr. Trump was jeered at the Al Smith dinner in New York, another formal event where politicians are expected to make fun of themselves. Not one to be self-deprecating, Mr. Trump took some shots at his opponent, Hillary Clinton, who was sitting nearby, and made a joke at the expense of his wife, Melania. | As a candidate last year, Mr. Trump was jeered at the Al Smith dinner in New York, another formal event where politicians are expected to make fun of themselves. Not one to be self-deprecating, Mr. Trump took some shots at his opponent, Hillary Clinton, who was sitting nearby, and made a joke at the expense of his wife, Melania. |
| Whether Mr. Trump — who has attacked journalists, politicians and actors for speaking out against him — would be willing to play along with the comedic aspect of the Correspondents Dinner remains an open question in Washington. | Whether Mr. Trump — who has attacked journalists, politicians and actors for speaking out against him — would be willing to play along with the comedic aspect of the Correspondents Dinner remains an open question in Washington. |
| “Historically, that’s one thing presidents have liked, is the chance to get up there and make fun of other people,” Hilary Rosen, a Democratic strategist who helps plan an annual garden brunch, said in an interview. | “Historically, that’s one thing presidents have liked, is the chance to get up there and make fun of other people,” Hilary Rosen, a Democratic strategist who helps plan an annual garden brunch, said in an interview. |
| Ms. Rosen then considered Mr. Trump’s track record with the news media, which has been more pugilistic than playful. “He probably doesn’t need that forum,” she said. | Ms. Rosen then considered Mr. Trump’s track record with the news media, which has been more pugilistic than playful. “He probably doesn’t need that forum,” she said. |
| Interest in the details of this year’s event has been so intense that Jeff Mason, the current president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, felt compelled to release a statement on Thursday assuring that the dinner will, in fact, go on. | Interest in the details of this year’s event has been so intense that Jeff Mason, the current president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, felt compelled to release a statement on Thursday assuring that the dinner will, in fact, go on. |
| “There is always a healthy amount of criticism about the dinner generally,” Mr. Mason said in an interview, “and I’m sure that will continue this year.” | “There is always a healthy amount of criticism about the dinner generally,” Mr. Mason said in an interview, “and I’m sure that will continue this year.” |
| As in years past, the event will be primarily focused on recognizing the work of Washington journalists, raising money for scholarships and charitable causes, and celebrating the importance of the First Amendment, said Mr. Mason, a White House correspondent for Reuters. | As in years past, the event will be primarily focused on recognizing the work of Washington journalists, raising money for scholarships and charitable causes, and celebrating the importance of the First Amendment, said Mr. Mason, a White House correspondent for Reuters. |
| “We do that regardless of who is the president of the United States,” Mr. Mason said. | “We do that regardless of who is the president of the United States,” Mr. Mason said. |
| Mr. Mason would not say which entertainers were in consideration to host the event, calling that a “closely held secret.” | Mr. Mason would not say which entertainers were in consideration to host the event, calling that a “closely held secret.” |
| Another question is who might fill seats that may be vacated by the Hollywood establishment, which has publicly railed against the Trump administration. In past years, celebrities have flooded Washington for the weekend, creating what some journalists feel is a distorted view of the relationship between the press, the presidency and the Hollywood establishment. Organizers of the dinner and other events say that the relationship was never supposed to look like a love triangle. | Another question is who might fill seats that may be vacated by the Hollywood establishment, which has publicly railed against the Trump administration. In past years, celebrities have flooded Washington for the weekend, creating what some journalists feel is a distorted view of the relationship between the press, the presidency and the Hollywood establishment. Organizers of the dinner and other events say that the relationship was never supposed to look like a love triangle. |
| “It might actually be a good thing if it’s less of that this year,” Kate Nocera, the chief of BuzzFeed’s Washington bureau, said in an interview. “I feel like there’s been some burnout around what a spectacle of a weekend it is.” | |
| BuzzFeed has never bought tickets to attend the dinner and will continue to host an alternative event on the night it takes place, Ms. Nocera said. The New York Times stopped sending journalists in 2008. | BuzzFeed has never bought tickets to attend the dinner and will continue to host an alternative event on the night it takes place, Ms. Nocera said. The New York Times stopped sending journalists in 2008. |
| Ed Chen, who was president of the Correspondents’ Association in 2010 and is a former White House reporter for Bloomberg News, said that, over the years, more nonjournalists began filling the seats purchased by news organizations. Lobbyists, celebrities, elected officials and advertisers began filling the 2,670-seat ballroom in the Washington Hilton. | Ed Chen, who was president of the Correspondents’ Association in 2010 and is a former White House reporter for Bloomberg News, said that, over the years, more nonjournalists began filling the seats purchased by news organizations. Lobbyists, celebrities, elected officials and advertisers began filling the 2,670-seat ballroom in the Washington Hilton. |
| If anything, Mr. Chen added, the absence of celebrities might signal a return to business as usual for journalists concerned about access. “The organizations are still trying to court these people as sources,” said Mr. Chen, who is now a spokesman for the Natural Resources Defense Council. | |
| The Correspondents Dinner has weathered awkward years before. In 1999, in the wake of President Bill Clinton’s impeachment over a sex scandal, the event was hosted by the news anchor Brian Williams, rather than a comedian. A performance by Aretha Franklin was the main attraction. | The Correspondents Dinner has weathered awkward years before. In 1999, in the wake of President Bill Clinton’s impeachment over a sex scandal, the event was hosted by the news anchor Brian Williams, rather than a comedian. A performance by Aretha Franklin was the main attraction. |
| This year, the $300 tickets to the dinner are still likely to sell, and some celebrity spectacles are still likely to unfold, even if the Hollywood component ends up slightly rerouted. Ms. Bee, the comedian holding the alternative event, took the opportunity to take a jab at the association’s prospective lineup. | This year, the $300 tickets to the dinner are still likely to sell, and some celebrity spectacles are still likely to unfold, even if the Hollywood component ends up slightly rerouted. Ms. Bee, the comedian holding the alternative event, took the opportunity to take a jab at the association’s prospective lineup. |
| “Does 3 Doors Down do comedy?” Ms. Bee said, referring to the relatively obscure rock band that performed at Mr. Trump’s inaugural concert. “I don’t know, maybe they do.” | “Does 3 Doors Down do comedy?” Ms. Bee said, referring to the relatively obscure rock band that performed at Mr. Trump’s inaugural concert. “I don’t know, maybe they do.” |
| Mr. Chen said that journalists with the White House Correspondents’ Association, which is not affiliated with the surrounding parties, may not care too much if celebrities do not show up. | Mr. Chen said that journalists with the White House Correspondents’ Association, which is not affiliated with the surrounding parties, may not care too much if celebrities do not show up. |
| Instead, he added, the reporters want to see Mr. Trump. | Instead, he added, the reporters want to see Mr. Trump. |
| “I would suspect there’s tremendous lobbying,” Mr. Chen said, “especially members of the board of the association, lobbying the White House for the president to come.” | “I would suspect there’s tremendous lobbying,” Mr. Chen said, “especially members of the board of the association, lobbying the White House for the president to come.” |