President Obama at White House Correspondents Dinner

Comedienne Wanda Sykes to Entertain at White House Correspondents' Dinner

Damn, I saw this yesterday and forgot all about it. Gonna make for some interesting viewing.

NEW YORK- Wanda Sykes will soon get the chance to make fun of President Barack Obama to his face.

The comic actress said Thursday that she has been selected as the entertainer at the annual White House Correspondents' Association annual dinner in Washington, slated for May 9.

(snip)

"The first thing I did when they asked me to do this gig — I made sure my taxes were paid," quipped Sykes, taking a dig at the withdrawal of former U.S. Sen. Tom Daschle from Obama's cabinet due to unpaid taxes.

Video is Wanda on healthcare and is very slightly NSFW.

She's "never seen as many people of color in the briefing room"

By GottaLaff

Change. Change. Change:

Politico reports that the Obama administration’s first press briefing yesterday “was one of the most crowded ever –- and more diverse than ever too, with about a dozen black reporters, veterans and newbies among them.” There were four black media outlets represented, including three monthly magazines who have hired their first White House reporters to cover Obama.

American Urban Radio Network’s April Ryan [...] said she had never seen as many people of color in the briefing room as yesterday.

Gee, just like real America. Who'da thunk it?

New president, new questioners: Meet the (new) press

By GottaLaff

Because the media snuggled up with Little Georgie Bush for so long, my money is on the "new" press overcompensating and making every attempt to nail Obama as often and as hard as they can. Key word: Overcompensating:

When incoming press secretary Robert Gibbs approaches the podium in the White House Briefing Room, a new cast of notebook-clutching, laptop-tapping reporters will be there to greet him as the five biggest news networks are all switching up their chief White House correspondents to cover the 44th president.

The new faces will be Chuck Todd (NBC), Jake Tapper (ABC), Chip Reid (CBS) and Ed Henry (CNN). Although Fox News hasn’t named a replacement for Bret Baier — who just took over “Special Report” — the betting money in Washington is on correspondent Major Garrett, who covered the Obama campaign. While all the correspondents played significant roles during the 2008 election, their White House experience varies from several years to none at all.

With surveys showing the public believes Barack Obama received easier coverage during the campaign, coupled with lingering criticism of how the White House press corps dropped the ball as the Bush administration made the case for invading Iraq, the incoming group has a few hurdles to overcome.

Overall, it's not a bad team. But I have this nagging suspicion that they'll feel obligated to be more aggressive, whether it's warranted or not. I may be wrong, it's just a gut feeling.

Not that tough questions are a bad thing, far from it. I'd just hate to see gratuitous gotchas rather than fair, dispassionate, and thoughtful journalism.

This quote from Ed Henry was somewhat reassuring:

Asked about the perception that Obama has had easy treatment from the press so far, Henry warns against overcompensating: “We can’t turn every nit-picky thing into Watergate.”

Thank you.

For background on each of the reporters, go here.

Helen Thomas Is Back!

YEAH!!!!! Welcome back Helen! Very happy to see this. Via.