#2020 White House Correspondents’ Dinner Canceled, Virtual Event to Fill Place

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This year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which was set for August 29 in Washington, D.C., has been canceled.

In press release shared by the White House Correspondents’ Association, the decision was made after efforts to reconfigure the event were deemed the inadequate for guests and staff by medical experts, government authorities and members. It was determined that the event celebrating the best in journalism could not be held comfortably and so in lieu, the ceremony will instead go virtual.

“We do not want to let this moment pass, however, without telling the truly inspiring story of journalism in 2020, particularly White House journalism,” WHCA President, Jon Karl wrote in his letter to the press. “So, we are working at this moment on a virtual presentation that would allow us to salute award-winning journalism, toast an impressive group of scholarship winners, and still enjoy a few laughs.”

Saturday Night Live‘s Kenan Thompson was billed as this year’s host along with the evening’s entertainer Hasan Minhaj. No word about possible involvement on the virtual end has been made at this time.

The annual dinner’s revenue goes toward financing the WHCA’s work which includes supporting journalists covering the president, events and programs that educate on the value of the First Amendment and free press, along with scholarships for future generations of reporters.

In Karl’s message, he relayed that money spent on dinner tickets can be converted into a fully tax deductible contribution. Stay tuned to see what virtual event comes together in the wake of this unprecedented cancellation.