The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) has decided to cancel the traditional performance by a comedian at this year’s annual fundraising dinner.
For decades, comedians have spoken at the dinner to roast politicians, journalists, administration officials, and anyone else in attendance.
However, on Friday, WHCA President Eugene Daniels emailed members to announce a unanimous board decision to cancel comedian Amber Ruffin’s performance, expressing a desire to refocus the event on journalism instead of political satire.
“At this consequential moment for journalism, I want to ensure the focus is not on the politics of division but entirely on awarding our colleagues for their outstanding work and providing scholarship and mentorship to the next generation of journalists,” Daniels said, according to a report from The Hill.
“For the past couple of weeks, I have been planning a re-envisioning of our dinner tradition for this year,” Daniels continued.
“As the date nears, I will share more details of the plans in place to honor journalistic excellence and a robust, independent media covering the most powerful office in the world.”
Ruffin, who works on NBC’s “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” was announced as the featured comedian in February. However, she is a bitter