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. The 2013 WHCA℠ dinner took place on April 27, 2013 and next year's dinner will be held on May 3, 2014. Proceeds from the White House Correspondents’ Association annual dinner go toward scholarships and awards that recognize aspiring and accomplished journalists. Auctions and raffles of WHCA℠ dinner tickets designed to raise money for other organizations or for commercial purposes are against the policy of the WHCA℠.
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 2013 recipients are listed on our AWARDS page.
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
2013 JOURNALISM AWARDS
WASHINGTON--Ryan Lizza of the New Yorker is this year's winner of the White House Correspondents Association award for journalistic excellence in covering the presidency.
Julie Pace of the Associated Press and Terry Moran of ABC have won the association's awards for White House news coverage under deadline pressure, and the Center for Public Integrity is recognized for its coverage of issues of national importance.
The annual WHCA prizes honor outstanding performance by White House correspondents and other national journalists each year. The prizes and their cash awards will be given out at the association's annual dinner on Saturday, April 27.
Selected by a panel of judges organized by the Medill School of Journalism, the winning candidates this year demonstrated excellence under deadline pressure and in the kind of in-depth reporting at risk in an era of media cost-cutting.
"One of our central missions continues to be holding government officials accountable," WHCA President Ed Henry said. “I’m thrilled that all of these terrific journalists will be honored at our dinner this month.”
In awarding the Aldo Beckman Award to Lizza, the panel of judges noted his "remarkable efforts to provide an independent perspective" on President Obama's presidency and re-election.
"Deep reporting, both through documents and personal interviews, moves these stories beyond the cacophony of a campaign year," the judges said. Besides being an excellent reporter, they said, Lizza is "a thoughtful, cogent writer. He has a keen ability to take his readers inside decisions and weave a compelling narrative, something he has done for more than a decade covering the White House."
The Beckman award is named for the award-winning Chicago Tribune correspondent and former WHCA president. Funded by the Tribune, the award has a cash prize of $1,000.
The Merriman Smith Award for a print journalist goes to Pace, who was recently named to lead the AP White House team. The judges noted her next-day story reporting Obama’s reelection, saying that it "provided a detailed, nuanced explanation of how the Obama campaign had mobilized a sophisticated get-out-the- vote offensive to create a winning strategy that surprised many analysts in its scope."
"Writing from the press bus and buttonholing Obama campaign operatives who were already celebrating, she produced a nicely paced, engaging narrative that provided the first-blush analysis of campaign 2012," they wrote.
Moran is the broadcast winner of the Smith award for his coverage of the Supreme Court decision on the Affordable Care Act.
Moran "calmly guided viewers through the complexity, contradictions and nuance of the ruling while explaining what it means for the president and his political fortunes," the awards panel wrote of his work.
The Merriman Smith fund was set up in 1970 to honor United Press International's correspondent at the White House for more than 30 years. The winners will each receive a cash prize of $2,500.
The winner of the Edgar A. Poe Award is the depth reporting series "Hard Labor," by CPI reporters Jim Morris, Chris Hamby and Ronnie Greene.
As the judges put it, the series "compellingly shows how the government has failed to keep its promise to protect workers from injury and death on the job."
"Drawing on years of data and on-the-ground reporting in eight states and Canada, the authors demonstrate how corporate corner-cutting, government inability or unwillingness to impose meaningful penalties, and bureaucratic pressure to make caseload quotas have stymied real regulation," the judges wrote. "They tell the workers' stories in a manner that evokes Studs Terkel, excellently weaving human interest with deep-data scrutiny and using numbers sparingly but with powerful effect."
The Poe award was set up to honor coverage of national or regional significance. The prize of $2,500 is funded by the New Orleans Times-Picayune and Newhouse Newspapers in honor of their distinguished correspondent, who also served as a WHCA president.
The selections process was supervised by Ellen Shearer, William F. Thomas Professor of Journalism at Northwestern University's Medill school.
READ MORE
2013 WHCA℠ SCHOLARSHIPS
Congratulations to this year's recipients! Visit our SCHOLARSHIPS page to learn more about these exceptional students.
President Barack Obama speaks at a press conference in the White House on June 24, 2009. Official White House Photo/ Chuck Kennedy
2013 WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS' ASSOCIATION℠ DINNER
Late night star Conan O'Brien to headline 2013 White House Correspondents' Dinner
Conan O'Brien, the Emmy award-winning comedian and late night talk show host, will headline the annual White House Correspondents' Association’s annual dinner on April 27, 2013, it was revealed Wednesday by association president Ed Henry.
"Conan is one of television's most innovative and influential talents and I am absolutely thrilled that he has agreed to be this year's featured act," said Henry. "As social media has changed all aspects of the media business, Conan has embraced this shifting landscape to become a creative force both online as well as in the traditional television model. We are grateful that Conan will be also be using that creativity to bring more attention to the WHCA's commitment to helping needy journalism students." READ MORE
2013 WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS' ASSOCIATION℠ DINNER
To view red carpet arrivals and the full program, visit C-SPAN's WHCA℠ page. Additional photos are available on our SLIDESHOW and DINNER pages.
Use the sidebar links at the right to view earlier WHCA℠ dinners, scholarships, and awards presentations.
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President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama walk down Pennsylvania Avenue en route to the White House, Monday, Jan. 21, 2013. Photo/Doug Mills, New York Times
Next year's White House Correspondents' Dinner will take place on May 3, 2014.
As we begin to celebrate this milestone, we are looking for anecdotes, pictures or memorabilia from past dinners and past Association events. If you have something you'd like to share, please send to whca100@gmail.com
Conan O'Brien, the Emmy award-winning comedian and late night talk show host, will headline the annual White House Correspondents' Association’s annual dinner on April 27, 2013, it was revealed Wednesday by association president Ed Henry.
"Conan is one of television's most innovative and influential talents and I am absolutely thrilled that he has agreed to be this year's featured act," said Henry. "As social media has changed all aspects of the media business, Conan has embraced this shifting landscape to become a creative force both online as well as in the traditional television model. We are grateful that Conan will be also be using that creativity to bring more attention to the WHCA's commitment to helping needy journalism students." READ MORE
C-Span's comprehensive coverage of the guest arrival from the red carpet area starting at about 6:15 pm, and their full coverage of the dinner program may be viewed on TV or online at C-SPAN.ORG's White House Correspondents' Dinner hub.
2013 AWARD-WINNING JOURNALISTS
SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
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.
Proceeds from the White House Correspondents’ Association annual dinner go toward scholarships and awards that recognize aspiring and accomplished journalists. Auctions and raffles of WHCA℠ dinner tickets designed to raise money for other organizations or for commercial purposes are against the policy of the WHCA℠.
President: Ed Henry, Fox
Vice President: Steven Thomma, McClatchy Newspapers
Secretary: Carol Lee, Wall Street Journal
Treasurer: Michael Scherer, Time
Doug Mills, New York Times
Christi Parsons, Tribune Newspapers
April Ryan, American Urban Radio Network
Ari Shapiro, NPR
Margaret Talev, Bloomberg News
White House Correspondents' Association℠ announces ABC'S Jake Tapper, The Washington Post's Scott Wilson and teams at Politico and the Associated Press are winners of its 2012 journalism awards
The White House Correspondents' Association℠ is pleased to announce the winners of its 2012 journalism awards. Ten journalists have been chosen as the winners of three prestigious awards, along with two honorable mentions. Two of the winning submissions underscore the importance of teamwork in achieving journalistic excellence. The WHCA℠ looks forward to honoring the talented recipients at our annual scholarship dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 28, 2012. READ MORE
LAUNCH THE 2012 SLIDESHOW
Late-night comic Jimmy Kimmel to headline White House Correspondents' Association℠ Dinner
WASHINGTON - The White House Correspondents’ Association℠ is pleased to announce that Jimmy Kimmel, host of the ABC late-night talk show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” will headline the WHCA's 98th annual dinner on Saturday, April 28, 2012.
"Jimmy's humor is sophisticated and edgy while appealing to a wide audience," said Caren Bohan, a Reuters journalist and president of the White House Correspondents' Association. "We are thrilled that Jimmy has accepted our invitation to be the featured comedian at our annual dinner."
The WHCA℠ dinner is traditionally attended by the President and First Lady as well as many other senior government officials and members of the press corps. Proceeds from the dinner go toward scholarships and awards aimed at supporting aspiring journalists and recognizing excellence in the profession.
White House Correspondents' Association℠ANNOUNCES RECIPIENTS OF THE 2011 AWARDS
Four reporters have been named winners of three of journalism's most prestigious awards, and will be honored at the White House Correspondents' Association℠ dinner on April 30 at the Washington Hilton. At the annual dinner, the association also gives out more than $100,000 in scholarships for journalism students.
READ ABOUT THE 2011 JOURNALISM AWARD WINNERS.
WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS' ASSOCIATION℠ ANNOUNCES RECIPIENTS OF 2011 SCHOLARSHIPS
$103,000 to be awarded as part of White House Correspondents' Association℠Dinner Weekend
Students honored at Annual Scholarship Luncheon on Friday, April 29.
READ ABOUT THE 2011 SCHOLARSHIPS
View approximately 300 images of the 2010 dinner by photographer Paul Morse. Slideshow is available in Flash and non-Flash formats.
2010 WHCA℠ DINNER REPORT
2010 JOURNALISM AWARDS
Watch a FLASH SLIDESHOW with over 200 images of the WHCA℠ reception and dinner.
2009 WHCA℠ DINNER REPORT
TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRESIDENT'S REMARKS
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 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 2010 SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS.
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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