A new documentary film gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the hoopla surrounding the White House Correspondents’ dinner, which, much to the dismay of some, has become the most important social week of the year in Washington, D.C.
After covering the event for 10 years, Patrick Gavin came to the conclusion that journalists, including himself, were covering the event the wrong way.
"You just go to parties, say who was there, take some pictures, you ask ‘Hey, how’s the president going to do tomorrow night’ and that was it," said Gavin. "It was easy, and it was fun … though it started getting not so much towards the end."
Just before last year’s dinner, Gavin left Politico and set out to create Nerd Prom: Inside Washington’s Wildest Week, which will be released for purchase on April 10.
"People outside of D.C. have probably heard of the dinner and see the jokes on the Today show on Monday morning," said Gavin. "I don’t think they know that the dinner is actually 24 events that take place over a whole week."
Gavin explains that the film is really about D.C., and that the dinner is used as a lens through which to tell the larger story of just how out of touch it has become.
"This is not only a big event, this is the biggest event in Washington, D.C.," said Gavin. "The biggest event in D.C. better stand for something, and I’m not sure that it does. … Why are we celebrating ourselves when everybody hates us?"
The event is supposed to be a celebration of the work done by those covering the White House, but the seemingly endless series of exclusive parties have transformed the event into something entirely different.
"The weekend is supposed to be about supporting journalism access, but we show how hard it actually is to get access during our making of the documentary," said Gavin. "It’s supposed to be about recognizing White House correspondents, but they are hardly the celebrities of the weekend."
The real celebrities of the weekend hail from Hollywood, and most of them are unable to name a correspondent.
The celebs began flocking to the event in significant numbers starting in 2009.
"Celebrities come because they get to be 100 yards from the president of the United States, and particularly they come now to be 100 yards from this president of the United States," said Gavin, noting that the event has grown since the Bush years and will surely shrink if a Republican is elected in 2016.
The critique of the event extends beyond the glitz and glamour that now surrounds it. Also targeted is the White House Correspondents Association’s scholarship program, which is highlighted as the primary reason for the dinner.
The film digs into the group’s finances and unveils that the program "is clearly not as robust as it could be." The CEO gets paid more than the group gives away in scholarships, which Gavin says is a red flag for charities.
Gavin also expressed his disappointment that the dinner is not about the journalists, who he says have been "getting shafted" by the Obama administration.
"White House correspondents under Obama have been complaining the whole time, and they bring up really serious issues," said Gavin. "If the press has serious complaints about how the commander in chief treats the press, this is their dinner and they should cause a big stink about it."
"The problem is that nobody really gives a shit about reporters."