Should Journalists Accept an Invitation to the State Dinner?

Do entertainment reporters get invited to the Oscars as guests? I don't know. Certainly they have a working area (and red carpet access) for the press, but I'm not sure they get invited.

As a reporter (not that I am one, or ever was) I would be able to cover an event honoring Hu, but I wouldn't attend an event honoring him as a guest.

And, much as I dislike Michael Moore, I wouldn't compare him to Hu.

 

That's just silly. If you are a reporter covering Washington and/or politics, you don't get to turn your nose up at an event like this.

If you went as a guest, it would be to schmooze and make connections, not to support whoever is being thrown the state dinner. This is called diplomacy.

 

I'm talking about two different things.

I, YankeeFan, would not attend an event honoring Hu. If I have time tomorrow, I might even go protest against him in Chicago. (And I'm not a "protest" kind of guy.)

As a reporter, I can see the justification of attending. But I can also see the conflict. The decision to attend as a reporter should be based on the ethics, not who's being honored.

 

BTW, Boehner, Reid, and McConnell all declined to attend.

Though I know Boehner is attending a "business" meeting with him. Maybe the others are to, I'd have to look it up.

 

That is wrong for Boehner not to be there. What is wrong with that guy.

 

I believe the question is should journalists attend. I say they should. I see no ethical conflict whatsoever.

 

He's probably got a fund raiser to attend. That's twice now he's turned down invitations from the President in a week.

 

Do you think they needed the approval of their boss to attend?

If they did, and I'm betting they did, then there's at least an ethical question. Now, the decision was obviously to approve it, but, you don't need to ask for approval to attend most dinners.

 

The bottom line is that people will want to read about this event. So there will need to be reporters present to provide some content about it. So what are they supposed to do, sit up in a press box and write a game story about a dinner? Of course not. They are given a seat at a table like everyone else.

Does it mean they HAVE to write a nice, positive piece about it? Nope. Their job is to report what happens. It's really no different than any other assignment that is seen as a "perk." The journalists who get to go to Hawaii and cover the Pro Bowl probably see that as a pretty sweet perk. But they are still there to do their job just like the writers at the White House.

 

If you're not trying to sneak in, I see no problem.

 

Yes, they can go. But don't think of taking that free T-shirt from a coach.

 

Unrelated to the topic but relevant to your comment ----- I actually met Boehner last summer. Guy was a total ass.