Washington Press Spends War Weekend Giving Themselves Awards

By Tengrain — April 26, 2022

Politico, aka "Tiger Beat on the Potomac" (thanks Charlie Pierce!) email thingie returns to its roots and today the lede article that they give the most column inches by far is the upcoming Nerd Prom. And like the popular kids in high school they want all the Unpopular kids to know that they were not invited:

PLAYBOOK’S GUIDE TO WHCA WEEK — That’s right, it’s no longer just a weekend. Here’s our first cut of the events you need to know about. All of these are invite-only. We’ll be adding updates all week, so please send us anything we’re missing.

Thursday — THIRSTY THURSDAY: The weekend has become so crowded with high-profile parties that some organizations have moved their events to Thursday. These tend to be more civilized and casual affairs that allow you to practice your rusty social skills and get a preview of who’s in town before the historically fancier (and drunker) events that begin Friday.

6 p.m.: Washington Women in Journalism Awards. This year’s honorees include ABC’s MARTHA RADDATZ, CNN’s KAITLAN COLLINS, WaPo’s KATHLEENPARKER and NPR’s AYESHA RASCOE.

6:30 p.m.: National Geographic reception, followed by screening of “We Feed People,” a documentary about JOSÉ ANDRÉS and directed by RON HOWARD. Both will be on hand for a Q&A.

6:30 p.m.: Bytes & Bylines, hosted by the Irish ambassador. We’ve never been to a bad party hosted by the Irish, so this is a good choice to start the festivities.

Friday — REHEARSALS: This has become a big night for parties, and is now dominated by two talent agencies, CAA and UTA. There are tons of smaller events all over Washington scheduled for Friday, but you’re probably having a good night if you’re shutting down the dance floor at the UTA party at 2 a.m.

5 p.m.: Vanity Fair and Power to the Patients cocktail reception.

6 p.m.: NBCUniversal shows off its new digs on Capitol Hill with Chair CESAR CONDE.

6 p.m.: Motion Picture Association reception. This one has historically attracted a big Hollywood contingent.

6:30 p.m.: CAA WHCD Cocktail Party. Always a classy affair.

6:30 p.m.: 14th annual Our Voices event hosted by MARIA TERESA KUMAR and ROSARIO DAWSON. (No word on whether Sen. CORY BOOKER is invited.)

7 p.m.: Politics & Inclusion Dinner, which promises to “bring together 50 diverse leaders in politics and media, both established and rising stars.” This year’s hosts: CNN’s ABBY PHILLIP and ColorComm’s LAUREN WESLEY WILSON.

7 p.m.: Semafor party. JUSTIN SMITH, BEN SMITH, GINA CHUA, STEVE CLEMONS and RACHEL OPPENHEIM are hosting an informal get-together to talk about their new media venture.

7:30 p.m.: The Creative Coalition is hosting the #RightToBearArts Gala Dinner. They promise celebrities from “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Young Sheldon” and “Barry.”

9 p.m.: Funny or Die/People Magazine party. How it’s being pitched: “In a town filled with famously unfunny parties, Funny Or Die and PEOPLE Magazine present the funniest party this town has ever seen.” Also: “celebrities galore.”

9 p.m.: UTA Celebration of America’s Journalists.

Saturday — GAME DAY

Brunches: There’s actually only one. Known simply as “Tammy’s brunch,” this party, now in its 27th year, has become as famous as the WHCD itself. TAMMY HADDAD, along with her 2022 co-hosts, MARK & SALLY EIN, KEVIN SHEEKEY, STEPHANIE RUHLE, YAMICHE ALCINDOR, CRAIG MINASSIAN, TERESA CARLSON and FRANCO NUSCHESE, will be honoring ABC News’ BOB WOODRUFF and Lt. Gen. DONNA MARTIN, inspector general of the Army, with special awards.

11 a.m.: The 27th Annual White House Correspondents’ Weekend Garden Brunch. A reminder from the hosts: “Aside from designated press areas, the event is off the record. We ask that you follow the same rules established by the WHCA for the dinner: No professional cameras or audio/video recorders are allowed inside the Party. Interviews are not permitted inside the event. Reporting on ‘overheards’ is strongly discouraged.” 😦

Pre-parties: One of the longest-running traditions of the dinner is the pre-party cocktail receptions throughout the Washington Hilton, hosted by news organizations. These often spill out into the hallways, and you can hop from one to the other. It’s typically easier to see and talk to people at these receptions than inside the ballroom itself, and you’ll get your first glimpse of interesting guests as you wander around. (One of us remembers chatting with MATT DRUDGE and PAULA JONES at one of these back in 1998.) Here are a couple, but there are many more:

5:30 p.m.: ABC News reception, hosted by ABC News President KIM GODWIN.

6 p.m.: POLITICO-CBS reception hosted by POLITICO CEO GOLI SHEIKOLESLAMI and CBS News President NEERAJ KHEMLANI.

The main event: President JOE BIDEN will be there. Awards for journalists and scholarships for students will be handed out. The air hangar of a ballroom will be filled with some 2,500 people mostly asking each other what afterparty they are attending. Note to TREVOR NOAH: Like almost every comedian who has come before you, you will be tempted to make jokes about the fact that this event is held at a Hilton. Don’t do it! They always flop. Whatever you think of the Hilton brand, this one is a Washington landmark with a lot of history.

7:30 p.m.: The White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton.

Afterparties: There are more this year than ever. The Vanity Fair party used to be the hottest ticket, but GRAYDON CARTER canceled it in 2017, and the magazine isn’t returning this year. NBC’s shindig became the go-to destination from 2017-2019. Now, party newcomer Paramount is hosting an afterparty that is being buzzed about as the new Vanity Fair. We’ll see!

9 p.m.: Vice News’ “Break the News” party to celebrate “our friends in the field.” This one goes until 1.

9:30 p.m.: Modern Luxury DC party. Don’t worry if you didn’t go to the dinner and aren’t wearing black tie — the dress code for this one is “Cocktail Chic.”

10:30 p.m.: theGrio’s “A Seat at the Table” party celebrating Black media and APRIL RYAN’s 25th anniversary covering Washington. MARY J. BLIGE is performing, and comedian CHRIS TUCKER is hosting.

10:30 p.m.: An Evening of Magical Realism, hosted by the ambassador of Colombia. This one, billed as “an exclusive soirée,” sounds interesting. Music: Thievery Corporation’s ERIC HILTON.

11 p.m.: The Paramount After Party.

11:30 p.m.: The NBCUniversal After Party. There’s no end time on the invitation, so that bodes well.

Sunday — BRUNCH: You’re hungover. You were dancing late into the night with MSNBC bookers. Or perhaps you couldn’t sneak into the Paramount party, and ended up at Black Whiskey until closing time. However the night went, you need a bloody mary and some eggs. The city is scattered with some smaller gatherings Sunday, but the two main events are hosted by CNN and yours truly.

10:30 a.m.: CNN Political Hangover Brunch.

11 a.m.: POLITICO Brunch.

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