Comedian and writer Amber Ruffin has been chosen to headline this year’s White House Correspondents’ Association annual dinner. Ruffin — an Emmy- and Tony-Award-nominated writer, comedian and author — is probably best known for NBC’s “Late Night With Seth Meyers” and CNN’s comedy news series, “Have I Got News For You.”
First off, God bless her and good luck. This surely is a nerve-wracking gig that can be a career-boosting moment if you do well, but a nightmare if you bungle it. But mostly, it’s not an easy room with all the political and media types.
Let’s say your jokes are good. That means it is going to do well with half the audience. But it likely will anger the other half, especially in these divisive and sensitive times. By the end of the night, if you spread your humor around, practically everyone in the room (and those watching at home) will have hurt feelings and bruised egos, and will be angry with you.
The big question is whether President Donald Trump will show up. Sitting presidents usually do — well, except for Trump, who did not go to the dinner during his first term. That’s not really that surprising. The president typically is on the receiving end of many of the jokes at the WHCA dinner, and Trump doesn’t have a sense of humor when he is teased.
You also wonder if some of the others in the Trumpverse, such as Elon Musk, will attend. Again, unlikely. In 2019, Trump even directed administration officials away from attending.
As I mentioned, it’s a tough gig, but a comedian really can’t turn it down because it’s high-profile and full of celebrities. So it’s a good invite for the talented Ruffin, who joins the list of previous WHCA dinner hosts such as Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel, Conan O’Brien, Cecily Strong, Larry Wilmore, Hasan Minhaj, Trevor Noah and Colin Jost.
In a statement, WHCA president Eugene Daniels of Politico said, “When I began to think about what entertainer would be a perfect fit for the dinner this year, Amber was immediately at the top of my list. Amber’s unique talents are the ideal fit for this current political and cultural climate. Her perspective will fit right in with the dinner’s tradition of honoring the freedom of the press while roasting the most powerful people on all sides of the aisle and the journalists who cover them.”
Not sorry
Good journalism means never having to say you’re sorry.
The New York Times’ Michael M. Grynbaum and Benjamin Mullin report, “No Apology Over Trump Lawsuit, ‘60 Minutes’ Top Producer Says.”
That’s right. Bill Owens, the well-respected executive producer of CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” told staff he would not apologize in any possible settlement in the lawsuit that President Donald Trump has brought against CBS over last year’s interview with Kamala Harris.
Trump is suing because he believes “60 Minutes” deceptively edited its interview with Harris prior to the election. While many legal experts believe Trump doesn’t have a case, reports are that CBS’s parent company, Paramount, has been in settlement talks with Trump.
But, according to the Times, Owens told staff, “There have been reports in the media about a settlement and/or apology. The company knows I will not apologize for anything we have done.”
It’s not unusual for networks to edit answers for time and clarity, just as it's not usual for print outlets to do the same. “60 Minutes” stands behind its journalism.
The Times wrote, “Journalists there believe a settlement would be an extraordinary capitulation because the editing of the Harris interview was in keeping with standard journalistic practice. In the prime-time version, Ms. Harris appeared to give an answer to one question that was different from the response she gave in a preview of the interview that aired the day before. CBS has said that Ms. Harris had given one lengthy answer and that it had chosen to air different portions at different times.”
According to the Times, Owens told staff, “The edit is perfectly fine; let’s put that to bed so we can get on with our lives.”
Meanwhile, here’s Dan Abrams and his take on NewsNation.
Media tidbits
