A redo of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner is set for next month, WHCA president Weijia Jiang told members Tuesday, with “significantly enhanced security” after April’s dinner was cut short when a shooter entered the Washington Hilton, forcing an evacuation of the event.
The dinner will be held July 24, with the venue and programming still TBD.
Read Jiang’s note, below.
Dear colleagues,
The White House Correspondents’ Dinner has served as a celebration of a free press and the vital role of journalism in our democracy for over a century. When gunfire interrupted this year’s event, it further clarified the WHCA’s mission to advocate for the freedoms that are protected in the First Amendment. We will not allow an act of violence to have the last word, especially during a year when we are reflecting on the 250th anniversary of America and everything we stand for.
I am proud to announce that we will host another dinner to be held in Washington, D.C. on Friday, July 24th.
Rescheduling was not automatic. It was a choice that the WHCA board made after thoughtful consideration and input from our members. I want to thank board members for the time and care they brought to this decision, particularly on the security front. The event will feature significantly enhanced safety measures and new access procedures. We will share additional details directly with attendees.
Our thoughts remain with the officer who was injured and with everyone who experienced that evening. We are indebted to the US Secret Service, law enforcement and the hotel staff whose swift response protected our guests and our staff.
In the weeks since the last dinner, we have raised funds to ensure WHCA members who purchased tickets will not have to pay if they attend the second event, which will be a more intimate gathering. We will also offer financial support to our scholarship winners for travel back to Washington. They, along with our journalism award winners, deserve to be recognized for their hard work and dedication to reporting.
This dinner will not only be an opportunity to carry out our program. It will be a statement that violence has no place in American life and a free press will not be intimidated into silence. As you have all demonstrated, courage and community can and should rise above.
Details on the venue, tickets, and programming will follow shortly.
Sincerely,
Weijia
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