People Cancels Annual Correspondents’ Dinner Event In The Name Of Press Freedom – Huffington Post

The annual fte between the White House and reporters who keep tabs on it has taken another strange turn under the media-bashing leadership ofDonald Trump.

Time Inc. and People magazine have canceled an annual cocktail party held prior to the White House Correspondents Dinner to promote freedom of the press instead. The publications affair usually includes a smattering of celebrity guests.

This year we have decided to focus on supporting the White House Correspondents Association, which plays a crucial role in advocating for the broadest possible access for the press at the White House, Alan Murray, Time Inc.s chief content officer, said in a statement provided to The Huffington Post. News and culture outlets Vanity Fair, The New Yorker and Bloomberg have also canceled partiessurrounding the dinner.

Over the past couple years, the Time/People partyhas attractedthe likes of Karlie Kloss, Vivica A. Fox, Gina Rodriguez, Tracee Ellis Ross, Laverne Cox and Jesse Tyler Ferguson. The event, affectionately labeled nerd prom by some, is known for its hefty swag bags that consistently exciteWashington Post reporters.

While Time will still participate in the dinner, People will instead make a donation to the White House Correspondents Association.

The 2017 correspondents dinner is already expected to be an unusual one for one big reason: The president wont be there.

Trump, who has called the mediathe enemy of the people,tweeted last month his decision to skip the event, which serves as a show of good faith between the press and the administration. It is still scheduled for April 29.

The same day, however, Full Frontal host Samantha Bee will host an alternative event. Aptly titled Not the White House Correspondents Dinner, Bee will welcome an unknown number of guests in Washington hours before the black-tie affairin order to properly roast the president, she told The New York Times in January.

Featuring a menu of bottomless cocktails and assloads of fancy fingerfoods, The Hill reports, proceeds from Bees event will go to the Committee to Protect Journalists, a nonprofit dedicated to press freedom.

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People Cancels Annual Correspondents' Dinner Event In The Name Of Press Freedom - Huffington Post