President George W. Bush congratulates Mei-Ling Hopgood and Russell Carollo of the Dayton Daily News. Hopgood and Carollo were the lead writers on a seven-day series that won the Edgar A. Poe award for 2004
President George W. Bush congratulates Mei-Ling Hopgood and Russell Carollo of the Dayton Daily News. Hopgood and Carollo were the lead writers on a seven-day series that won the Edgar A. Poe award for 2004
WHCA 2004 Annual Award Dinner
By Emily Kumler
Medill News Service
The White House Correspondents Association hosted its 90th annual dinner, awarding four prizes to journalists and one to an aspiring photojournalist, on May 1 at the Washington Hilton.
President Bush entertained the crowd of journalists, celebrities and political dignitaries.
“I was going to start off telling some self-deprecating jokes, but then I couldn’t think of anything I’d done wrong,” the president joked.
On a more somber note, the president talked about the many military personnel and civilians, including journalists, who have died in Iraq. Bush said the current generation of correspondents and soldiers should be proud and honored for their work.
“In every field, in every generation, we tend to view the best as in the past, but in our case that’s not true,” Bush said.
Jay Leno, the master of ceremonies, revved the crowd up after the president’s speech by poking fun at Democrats and Republicans, the press and Ben Affleck.
“Good evening esteemed members of the press and USA Today,” Leno began. “You know what journalists call actors who play journalists? Anchors.”
The White House press corps and their guests, having finished entrees of filet mignon and tilapia, munched on homemade apple pie and cinnamon ice cream as the president shook hands with the award recipients.
Russell Carollo and Mei-Ling Hopgood of the Dayton Daily News won the Edgar A. Poe Award for their seven-day series, “Casualties of Peace,” examining problems in the Peace Corps, including increased rape and assaults against Peace Corps volunteers.
The Merriman Smith Memorial Award went to Mike Allen of The Washington Post for his work effectively covering the Bush administration under deadline.
David Sanger of The New York Times won the Aldo Beckman Award for reporting on the inner thinking of the president in a six-part series.
The White House Correspondents’ Association Prize went to a high school student, Suzanne Mason of Riverdale, Md., for her accomplishments and aspirations to become a photojournalist.
Whether it was their first time or their 10th at the annual event, the attendants in the crowd seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Comedian Drew Carey called it “the best party of the year because it’s a mix of Hollywood and Washington.”
Wayne Newton, a guest of CNN, said, “It’s our first time and we’re very excited.”
Emily Kumler can be reached at e-kumler@northwestern.edu.
