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Donald Trump

WASHINGTON. – Donald Trump has ratcheted up his feud with the US media by announcing he will skip the annual correspondents’ dinner, the first US president to do so in 36 years. By boycotting the event Trump breaks a tradition that began in 1921 in which journalists invite the US president for a light-hearted roast. “I will not be attending the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner this year. Please wish everyone well and have a great evening!” Trump wrote on Twitter.

The last time a president missed the event was in 1981, when Ronald Reagan was recovering after being shot in an assassination attempt. Reagan, however, phoned in with friendly remarks.

Richard Nixon, who despised the media, skipped the event in 1972. Trump frequently blasted the mainstream US press during the election campaign and as president has intensified his media-bashing.

He ripped the New York Times yesterday for a television ad that the newspaper was set to air during the Oscars ceremony stating “The truth is more important now than ever.”

“For first time the failing @nytimes will take an ad (a bad one) to help save its failing reputation. Try reporting accurately & fairly!” Trump tweeted.

Over the years, the dinner organised by the White House Correspondents’ Association has evolved – or devolved, depending on one’s point of view – into the self-described “Nerd Prom” packed with Hollywood celebrities.

The WHCA said it will proceed with this year’s dinner, set for April 29.

The event “has been and will continue to be a celebration of the First Amendment (on freedom of the press) and the important role played by an independent news media in a healthy republic”, WHCA president Jeff Mason tweeted.

Some news groups have already pulled out. Conde Nast, publisher of The New Yorker and Vanity Fair magazines, will be absent and Bloomberg will no longer co-host a popular post-dinner party.

The New York Times has skipped the event for years to avoid charges that its reporters are too close to the White House.

The WHCA said it was “protesting strongly” against the decision to selectively deny media access.

It is not uncommon for Republican and Democratic administrations to brief a limited number of reporters on specific themes.

However, last Friday’s event was billed as a regular briefing open to credentialed media before it became a closed event in Spicer’s office for a chosen group.

Several outlets that regularly cover the White House, including newswires Reuters and Bloomberg, attended. They are part of the “pool”, a small group of reporters who have access to certain events and share the contents with other media. – AFP.