The D.C. Party Report
News organizations are competitive, on the number of scoops, the number of readers... and the number of celebrities they can get to come to their parties. On one night a year, these organizations decide to compete simultaneously, and it becomes a fierce sport. That night is the White House Correspondents Dinner. Sadly, what that competition means is that the point of the event, which is to celebrate the journalists who cover the office of the America's commander in chief gets a lot obscured.
Perhaps it's a sign of how journalists have become too collegial. They don't seem to need this night, in particular, to remind themselves of their similarities and common aspirations. That notion is troubling.
What we get instead is an extremely random mix of celebrities (not necessarily bona fide actors, but people who have achieved fame, for whatever reason). As I followed Pamela Anderson down a crowded, narrow, dark hallway and heard her kind of gulp for air, and heard one of her handlers say, "We got to get her outside, right away," I could only think how strange was the scene.
For some, the likes of Ms. Anderson really got the blood going. Certainly some teenagers outside the hotel got excited when the Jonas Brothers arrived.
But in the big scheme of things, Ms. Anderson and others were just props.
More interesting, from a New Yorker's perspective, is how much the real party energy of the weekend emanated from New York.
Not only are so many of the news gathering companies that take part in the affair headquartered in New York, but the most glamorous guests, party planners, bouncers, photographers, videographers, all come from New York.
And so, all of the parties had a familiar feel to them, in terms of the company, the elegance, and the mingling strategies.
Reuters held both their parties at the Washington Hilton, scoring points for the presence of Vanderbilt jewels and a funny drink menu.
Bloomberg pitched a tent for its party, a strategy imperiled by the rain.
Gotta love Jason Binn, who made the trip across town to the Newseum from the Washington Hilton well worth it. He had the most New York-legit venue for his bash: the brand new shiny Newseum, designed by a New Yorker, James Polshek. Not only that, it was an appropriate venue: one devoted to chronicling the history of news gathering. Here was a place to ponder the weekend's spectacle, and also the work that journalists are charged with carrying out every day.
Jason Binn's party -- that is, his magazine Capitol File's party -- had the biggest budget, and that's no surprise: Niche Media isn't one of the companies with reporters at the White House. It's a company whose luxury lifestyle magazines are chiefly about parties.
