In the absence of star guest Donald Trump, the usually celebrity-filled soiree took a more serious turn to focus on defence of journalistic freedom

White House correspondents' dinner: 'We are not the enemy,' say press corps

The White House press corps has gathered for its annual black-tie dinner, a toned-down affair this year after Donald Trump snubbed the event, becoming the first incumbent US president to bow out in 36 years.

Without Trump, who scheduled a rally instead to mark his 100th day in office, the usually celebrity-filled soiree took a more sober turn, even as it pulled in top journalists and Washington insiders.

Trump's 100-day rally: president launches attack on 'failing' media Read more

Most of Trump’s administration also skipped the event in solidarity with the president, who has repeatedly accused the press of mistreatment. The president used his campaign-style gathering to again lambast the media.

“I could not possibly be more thrilled than to be more than 100 miles away,” he told a crowd in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, calling out The New York Times, CNN and MSNBC by name.

In Washington, White House Correspondents’ Association President Jeff Mason defended press freedom, saying attempts to undermine the media was dangerous for democracy.

“We are not fake news, we are not failing news organisations and we are not the enemy of the American people,” said Mason, a Reuters correspondent.

Instead of the typical roasts - presidents of both parties have delivered their own zingers for years - the event returned to its traditional roots of recognising reporters’ work and handing out student scholarships.

The stars of the night were Watergate reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, who recounted what they learned about journalism from their reporting for The Washington Post that helped lead to president Richard Nixon’s resignation more than 40 years ago.

“Like politicians and presidents sometimes, perhaps too frequently, we make mistakes and go too far,” Woodward said.

“When that happens we should own up to it. But the effort today to get this best obtainable version of the truth is largely made in good faith. Mr President, the media is not ‘fake news.’”

The humor fell to headline comedian Hasan Minhaj.

“Welcome to the series finale of the White House correspondents’ dinner,” Minhaj, who plays a correspondent on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show program, told the crowd.

He also joked about Trump, despite organizers’ wishes, saying he did so to honor US constitutional protection of free speech: “Only in America can a first-generation, Indian-American Muslim kid get on this stage and make fun of the president.”

“We’ve got to address the elephant that’s not in the room,” he went on. “The leader of our country is not here. And that’s because he lives in Moscow. It’s a very long flight. As for the other guy, I think he’s in Pennsylvania because he can’t take a joke.”

In a video message, actor Alec Baldwin, who has raised Trump’s ire playing him on NBC’s Saturday Night Live program also encouraged attendees.

Few other celebrities graced the red carpet, although some well-known Washingtonians, such as former secretary of state Madeleine Albright and Republican representative Darrell Issa of California, appeared.

Trump attended in 2011, when then-president Barack Obama made jokes at the expense of the New York real estate developer and reality television show host.

In an interview with Reuters this week, Trump said he decided against attending as president because he felt he had been treated unfairly by the media, adding: “I would come next year, absolutely.”

In Pennsylvania, Trump told supporters the media dinner would be boring but was noncommittal on whether he would go in 2018 or hold another rally.

Late night television show host Samantha Bee also hosted a competing event – “Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner” – that she said would honor journalists, rather than skewer Trump.

Trump is the first president since Ronald Reagan in 1981 to skip the event and Reagan was recovering from an assassination attempt.

The official WHCA dinner began in 1921. In recent decades, the event offered Washington’s press corps an opportunity to wear black tie and stunning gowns while mixing with celebrity guests.

Most people trace that development to 1987, when Baltimore Sun reporter Michael Kelly brought Fawn Hall, the secretary at the centre of the Iran-Contra affair.

Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report