ABOUT THE WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS' ASSOCIATION
The WHCA represents the White House press corps in its dealings with the administration on coverage-related issues.
A nine-member board of directors, elected by correspondents, addresses access to the chief executive; coverage arrangements; work space arrangements; logistics and costs for press travel to accompany a president on the road. Information about our OFFICERS and BOARD MEMBERS is available on our site.
The association also holds an ANNUAL DINNER to raise money for WHCA SCHOLARSHIPS and honor the professional recipients of the WHCA's JOURNALISM AWARDS. This year's dinner is scheduled for May 1, 2010.
SCHOLARSHIPS for promising journalism students play an important part in the associations' mission. Read about the talented recipients who were honored and learn about our expanded scholarship program.
We are proud to sponsor several prestigious professional journalism AWARDS that highlight our colleagues' significant accomplishments in the field. A call for submissions goes out in January, and awards are presented in the spring at the annual dinner. The 2010 recipients are listed on our AWARDS page, and excerpts from their winning entries will be added to the site following the awards dinner.
Learn about the HISTORY of the WHCA. Over the years, many of our association's activities have been documented by C-SPAN, which is hosting a video archive of the White House Correspondents' Association dinners and related historical footage.
To qualify for regular MEMBERSHIP, a correspondent must be employed on the editorial staff of a newspaper, magazine, wire service, radio, TV, cable TV, or other broadcast organization or news gathering organization that regularly reports on the White House. His or her principal journalistic assignments must involve White House coverage with such activities as attending briefings or participating in the in-town pool rotation.The applicant must have permanent White House press credentials. There is also a non-voting associate membership. Read the WHCA BY-LAWS to determine your eligibility. If you are interested in joining, download a MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION. If you are already a member, visit the membership page for additional information about MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS.
We are posting PRESS RELEASES and links to some representative NEWS BLOGS produced by our members, to help keep you up-to-date on the most pressing issues of the day.
We're usually the ones asking questions, but you may have a few for us. If so, please CONTACT THE WHCA. We'd enjoy hearing from you.
White House press briefing, photo/Doug Mills, New York Times
JOURNALISM AWARDS 2010
Washington (April 13, 2010) -- Five reporters have been named winners of three of journalism's most prestigious AWARDS, and they will be honored at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner on May 1.
Ben Feller of the Associated Press and Jake Tapper of ABC News will receive the Merriman Smith Award for presidential coverage under deadline pressure in the print and broadcast categories, respectively.
Mark Knoller of CBS News received the Aldo Beckman award for sustained excellence in White House coverage.
Suzanne Bohan and Sandy Kleffman of the Contra Costa, California, Times received the Edgar A. Poe Award for excellence in coverage of news of national or regional significance.
The AWARDS were presented during the annual fundraising dinner of the White House Correspondents' Association at the Washington Hilton Hotel on May 1, 2010.
READ MORE
WHCA SCHOLARSHIPS 2010
Wondering who won this year's White House Correspondent's Association scholarships? A full list of the recipients and their awards is available on the SCHOLARSHIPS page.
The White House Correspondents' Association is distributing a record $132,500 to eighteen (18) journalism student from five prestigious universities, and honored the recipients at its annual scholarship luncheon on Friday, April 30th, 2010. Since 1991, the WHCA has awarded nearly $360,000 in scholarship money to 42 graduating high school seniors and college-level students. The success of this dinner allows members of the White House press corps to give back to the next generation of reporters. This year, the students were recognized at a noon-time luncheon at the Atlantic Media offices, 600 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W., that was followed by a panel titled: "Press & the Presidency: A Front Row Seat to History." Former White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry moderated the discussion with five veterans of the White House press corps: Christina Bellantoni, Talking Points Memo; Ron Brownstein, National Journal/ Atlantic Media; Major Garrett, Fox News Channel; Savannah Guthrie, NBC News; Jennifer Loven, Associated Press.
"This on-the-record forum will give these students a first-hand perspective on covering the presidency," said Edwin Chen of Bloomberg News & President of WHCA. "The session will also allow these new journalists to discuss how the press corps does its job in an era with new challenges of access, and at a time when our business is undergoing profound changes."
READ MORE
President Barack Obama speaks at a press conference in the White House on June 24, 2009. Official White House Photo/ Chuck Kennedy
2010 WHCA AWARDS DINNER
The 2010 WHCA DINNER took place on May 1 at the Washington Hilton. Jay Leno was the featured speaker. View a SLIDESHOW of reception and dinner photos, and learn more about this year's AWARDS and SCHOLARSHIPS.
Photos/Paul Morse
You can still find last year's WHCA DINNER coverage online, along with a summary of the 2009 JOURNALISM AWARDS and SCHOLARSHIPS, or visit the 2009 SLIDESHOW page for a candid look at the event. You also can READ THE TRANSCRIPT of President Obama's 2009 speech at the WHCA Dinner, or WATCH THE VIDEO ON C-SPAN.ORG.
WHCA NEWS
April 19, 2010
WHCA ANNOUNCES RECIPIENTS OF 2010 SCHOLARSHIPS
$132,500 to be awarded as part of Correspondents Dinner Weekend. Students to be honored at Annual Scholarship Luncheon. Former White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry to moderate panel discussion with leading Washington journalists on the press and the presidency. READ PRESS RELEASE
April 13, 2010
Five Journalists Win Top Journalism Awards, Press Group Announces READ PRESS RELEASE
January 22, 2010
Leno to Headline White House Press and Scholarship Dinner READ PRESS RELEASE
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President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama walk down Pennsylvania Avenue en route to the White House, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009. Photo/Doug Mills, New York Times
August 1, 2010
The board of the White House Correspondents Association has agreed, by consensus, to move the Associated Press to the front row, center seat in the James S. Brady Briefing Room.
The board further agreed to move Fox News to the front row seat previously occupied by AP, and relocate NPR into the second row seat previously held by Fox, next to Bloomberg News.
It was a very difficult decision. The board received requests from Bloomberg and NPR in addition to Fox for relocation to the front row and felt all three made compelling cases. But the board ultimately was persuaded by Fox's length of service and commitment to the White House television pool.
The board also made a series of adjustments to the larger seating chart, including the addition of a new seat for the foreign press pool.
These deliberations mark the third time in four years the board has tackled this issue, and we urge members to view seating room changes as an ongoing process that will be revisited again as our industry evolves.
The changes are effective Monday, August 2. In addition, the board member from NPR abstained from debate of seating assignments for the first two rows.WHCA OFFICERS 2010 - 2011
President: David Jackson, USA TODAY
Vice President: Caren Bohan, Reuters
Secretary: Steve Scully, C-SPAN
Treasurer: Doug Mills, New York Times
WHCA BOARD MEMBERS 2010-2011
Carol Lee, Politico
Michael Scherer, Time Magazine
Julie Mason, DC Examiner
Don Gonyea, NPR
Ed Henry, CNN
Seventeen Washington, D.C. students received $132,000 in college scholarships from the White House Correspondents' Association to pursue careers in journalism. The WHCA honored the recipients at its annual scholarship luncheon on Friday, April 30th. At the May 1 fundraising dinner, entertainer Jay Leno was the featured speaker. And for the first time in its 96-year history, the association has taken action to reduce the carbon impact of its annual black-tie gala; these actions include using as much as possible renewable energy for the event, paper products, supplies and services that reduce the threat of global warming, deforestation, toxic wastes, hazardous chemicals and species extinction.
C-SPAN AND MSNBC televised this year's dinner.
 
C-Span's comprehensive coverage of the guest arrival from the red carpet area, and full coverage of the program may be viewed online at C-SPAN.ORG's White House Correspondents' Dinner hub.
Only WHCA members and their organizations are eligible to purchase tickets for the annual dinner. Please visit the MEMBERSHIP PAGE of our site to review eligibility requirements.
This year's journalism awards have been announced. For information about this year's recipients, visit the awards page to READ MORE.
This year, the students will be recognized at a noon-time luncheon at the Atlantic Media offices, 600 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W., to be followed by a panel titled: "Press and the Presidency: A Front Row Seat to History."
View approximately 300 images of the 2010 dinner by photographer Paul Morse. Slideshow is available in Flash and non-Flash formats.
Watch a FLASH SLIDESHOW with over 200 images of the WHCA reception and dinner.
2009 WHCA DINNER REPORT
TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRESIDENT'S REMARKS
WATCH THE DINNER ON C-SPAN.ORG
The Merriman Smith Award for presidential coverage under deadline pressure, the Aldo Beckman award for sustained excellence in White House coverage, and the Edgar A. Poe Award for excellence in coverage of news of national or regional significance.
2009 JOURNALISM AWARDS
READ THE WINNING ENTRIES
The 2008 WHCA DINNER took place on April 26 at the Washington Hilton hotel. Visit the 2008 WHCA DINNER PAGE for coverage of the event. C-SPAN televised the event and has posted STREAMING VIDEO OF THE WHCA DINNER on their web site.
WATCH A FLASH SLIDESHOW of the 2008 reception and awards dinner. Flash and a java-enabled web browser are required to view the show.
A FLASH SLIDESHOW of the 2007 reception and dinner remains online
A number of videos featuring past dinners dating back to the early '90s, including Presidential remarks, awards and scholarship presentations, interesting historical footage, and political humor are available on C-SPAN.ORG.
Read about WHCA scholarships and learn more about the 2009 SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS.
2008 SCHOLARSHIPS | 2007 SCHOLARSHIPS
THE SCHOLARSHIP ARCHIVE contains information about earlier recipients and links to additional information about these awards.
Visit the AWARDS PAGE sidebar for quick links to prior coverage of journalism awards, winning entries, and press releases dating back to 2000.
For recent White House Correspondents' Association news, visit the
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