Prominent Washington journalists, if not Hollywood stars, celebrated the First Amendment during the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner, an event that lacked the glitter of past years because of the absence of the president of the United States. Instead, speakers at the dinner promoted press freedom and responsibility and challenged Trump's accusations of dishonest reporting. Bob Woodward, left, talks with Carl Bernstein during the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington, Saturday, April 29, 2017 (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)The evening was not without humor aimed at the press and Trump. Trump became the first president since Ronald Reagan in 1981 to skip the event — and Reagan was recovering from an assassination attempt. —Merriman Smith Award winner for outstanding White House coverage under deadline: Edward-Isaac Dovere of Politico for his coverage of the historic meeting between Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro.

Source: Egypt Independent April 30, 2017 03:22 UTC