On Saturday evening, Michelle Wolf delivered the traditional roast at the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner. Wolf did what the hired comedian has always done—poke fun at the powerful. But the response to that traditional roast is telling.

Because it seems clear that the position of the press—or at least a substantial part of it—is that, while it is always acceptable to mock the disabled, disparage immigrants, and condemn the poor, it’s no longer within “polite society” to finger the tie of the people at the top. The press association is so concerned that people not feel offended by a 20-minute comedy routine containing jokes that were actually jokes, that they felt it necessary to issue an official response.

Dear Members, I want to tell you how much your kind words meant to me following the personal remarks at last night’s White House Correspondent’s Dinner, about the roots of my believe in journalism’s essential role. I also have heard from members expressing dismay with the entertainer’s monologue and how it reflects on our mission. … Last night’s program was meant to offer a unifying message about our common commitment to a vigorous and free press, while honoring civility, great reporting, and scholarship winners, not to divide people. Unfortunately, the entertainer’s monologue was not in the spirit of that mission.

Bullshit … is too kind a word. F#$%ing bullshit comes closer, but still doesn’t capture the spirit of “you’re a disgrace to your profession and your stated mission is the opposite of what it should be” that is the “spirit” of this reply to that reply. The job of a free press is neither to honor civility nor to unite people. It is to uphold the truth, force the powerful to confront their transgressions, and be a complete pain in the ass to those who would rather they stayed quiet.

The job of a comedian, especially one hired to deliver a satirical roast, it not just to make people laugh, but to do so in a way that challenges easy assumptions and leaves them feeling uncomfortable. The laughter at such an event should always be uneasy. Because it should come with a fair share of acknowledging painful truths and admitting to things that the listeners would very much like to ignore. One of the people in Washington, D.C. did her job very well on Saturday night. How well she did it, can be precisely measured by the level of seat-squirming “outrage” she generated.