Stick to its purpose

You want my take on the White House Correspondents Dinner? Leave it alone.

It should stick to its avowed purpose of celebrating the First Amendment, handing out awards and journalism scholarships, and being a night of fun and entertainment.

This year’s choice of comedian was unfortunate. She was not very funny, and was too close to porn for my taste. Also, she dressed a bit like a hooker.

But then you had what seemed to me like an unusually large number in the audience who were not professional journalists and were not there for entertainment. For instance, Sarah Sanders, with a large chip on her shoulder. She runs an office of propaganda, not journalism. No way are you going to please the ones who came there to find fault. Look at the show again. I could count several who are anti-First Amendment, in my opinion.

Sitting out here in the hills of north-northwest Arkansas, I think of the famous words of Dan Rather: “The camera never blinks.” I believe professional journalists should always keep this in mind.

I believe the anti-First Amendment people would like nothing better than to be able to force the White House Correspondents and other such organizations to abandon the avowed goals of truth, ethics, morality and justice. If it were possible to get rid of the First Amendment, especially freedom of the press, then there could be the dictator that some so passionately want. That’s my take.

DOROTHY D. HARE

Leslie