A friend pointed me to a great article on “How the journalist prom got out of control” by Dana Milbank. He recounts the state of corporate, political and entertainment orgy around the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner and related events.
My late colleague David Broder once recalled how, when he began newspapering in mid-century, journalists embraced the credo that “the only way a reporter should ever look at a politician is down.” He said they “prided themselves on their independence, their skepticism, and they relished their role in exposing the follies and the larceny of public officials.”
For PR and journalism professionals to create such an air of collusion certainly doesn’t help engender trust in the public’s eye. What are your thoughts? Harmless celebration or poor professionalism?
