Sarah Sanders' farewell party - and a farewell to responsible reporting

Yesterday I briefly pondered writing an equally brief post about Sarah Huckabee Sanders' farewell party — or rather, a repugnant gathering to a fare-thee-well — at Washington's Rare Steakhouse. But it was too much. Too much after having read Michelle Goldberg in an awful mood; and writing, again, about the dreadful Donald J. Trump and downcast Democrats; and suffering through a piece about the fatally idealistic Progressive Change Campaign Committee. It was just too much.

Before recovering my senses, I got so far as reading a NY Times story on the appalling affair, at which dozens of White House reporters convened to toast a press secretary who had, for two years, lied to them, belittled them, and just plain disappeared before them. I would have thought Sanders' demeaning behavior toward these journalists would have called for a journalistic attendance of zero. But I should never underestimate the pitiable groveling of more than a few White House correspondents.

The party was hosted by Politico and Dailymail.com reporters, however many of the others knew they should not have been there. "Even for clubby Washington," wrote the Times' Shawn McCreesh, "it could be a bad look to clink glasses for a woman who rode shotgun for a president who refers to the media with a Stalinist epithet." Yes, however undignified, these enemies of the people attended, though with bowed heads. "You’d better not say I was here," said one reporter. "Me either," said his interlocutor.

Well, some attended with bowed heads. Others, such as W.'s press secretary, the shameless Ari Fleischer, said these gatherings are "what polite people do with each other. You can still clash. You can still differ. You can still be professionals who hold the administration to account and go to a goodbye party together." To my mind, that's selling out, just as attendance at the WH Correspondents Dinner is selling out.

Among the polite people Monday night were Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley and the WH director of strategic communications — strategic? — Mercedes Schlapp. Are reporters not free to quiz these folks during regular business hours? Are they available for accountability only when chilled Chardonnay and "bar nuts" are available? Does not getting chummy with politicos diminish — even subconsciously — the possibility of aggressive questioning?

Were I Politico's managing editor, I would instruct my reporters that they can have a job, or eat bar nuts with Hogan. But in the interest of detached reporting, they can't have both.

Comments

[AnneJ]

This is why the White House Correspondents' Dinner shouldn't even be a thing. I will never forget the image of David Gregory dancing with Karl Rove.

[Peter G]

I am going to disagree with both AnneJ and our host regarding the WHC Dinner. I would agree that it very rarely has entertainment value but like the fungus seen on the surface it annually assures us that symbiotic relationship, the mutualism variety, hidden below is still healthy and operating. I do not see how it could not exist given the nature of political reporting. Careers in this field of journalism have always been dependent on access. He or she with the fattest rolodex (remember those) wins. And you don't get that without providing a quid pro quo. I seriously doubt I have to provide examples of this phenomena. I would be typing for days.

If the Dinner dies we shall just have to look elsewhere for evidence that nothing whatsoever has changed. Like a party to celebrate Sarah Sanders. She crapped on them every day and they played catch.

[Halster]

I don't really have a problem with the WHC Dinner but this farewell party was a travesty. You always hear about these journalists protecting their access, but access to what? WH press briefings have been nothing but attacks on the press as enemies of the state and lies, lies, and more lies. It seems to me that investigative journalism would be time better spent.

[AnneJ]

I wouldn't say she crapped on them every day. She hardly ever showed up to work.

[Mary]

Having carelessly commented that I didn't truly hate this woman, not nearly enough anyway, and being of perverse mind, I do find her slightly funny. And before you start, it's because she's a gal called in to do a job. She may have gone missing recently...well who can blame her? But from what I've seen she's done a super human, poe-faced effort, never modulating her voice and taking a bit of stick on behalf of your President at some dinner ,or other, that she had to attend in his place. At some stage she went missing. Good on her. Get another stooge, Donald.