Many people were looking forward, I guess, to watching the annual White House Correspondents Association annual dinner last night. But hasn’t it veered drastically from its founding image?

Started as a way to celebrate journalists

The event actually first started in 1914, so last night was it’s 110th anniversary. But it’s strayed away a great deal from its beginnings. These dinners have been annual since 1921. And the idea REALLY was to celebrate the hard-working jouranlists who cover the White House. And it also raises money for journalism college scholarships. That’s all great.

But the Red Carpet and Hollywood?

But just the bits I watched last night of the red-carpet entries of journalists and celebrities made it seem this has strayed from its serious beginnings. Nearly 3,000 people attended last night’s event. And most of them had to walk past pro-Palestinian protestors blocking the entrance. Many were lying on the ground to demonstrate the needless slaying of civilians in Gaza.

But back to the beginning

Originally, the 50 male correspondents who gathered at the Arlington Hotel wanted to talk about their difficulties in getting presidents to hold press conferences and supply information people had a right to know. While things really started under President Warren Harding. Journalists considered him one of their own. He had owned the Marion, Ohio, newspaper and made it quite the success. But he never attended.

Calvin Colidge was the first

President Calvin Coolidge was the first to attend. And every president except Donald Trump has attended at least one of these during his term in office. Women were not allowed to attend, even though their memberships in the White House Correspondents Association was permitted.

Thank you Helen

But thanks to long-time United Press International White House Correspondent Helen Thomas, this dinner opened to women reporters in 1962. That’s because President John F. Kennedy refused to attend unless women were allowed. Helen had convinced him. It was my privilege to know Ms. Thomas slightly. And I’m sure she was persuasive.

Criticisms from members

But even members of the White House Correspondents Association have criticized this as been cronyism with the folks reporters are supposed to cover. I’m not sure. I don’t think a light night out between the press and key administration officials is a bad thing. But the televised spectacle that involves perhaps more celebrities than reporters is troubling.

These are tough times

These are tough times, as evidenced by the demonstrations outside the Washington Hilton last night. An evening that pokes fun at the media and the politicians is okay. But today, we’d better be back to serious business as usual. The country depends on it.