Biden Praises Media Covering Ukraine War... "Role of Free Press is Crucial"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] U.S. President Joe Biden praised the press covering the Ukraine crisis, saying at the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner?the first held since the pandemic?that "the role of a free press fighting misinformation has become more important than ever."

According to major foreign media on the 1st, President Biden held the White House Correspondents' Dinner on the 30th of last month (local time) for the first time in three years since 2019.

President Biden began his speech with a joke referring to his low approval rating, saying, "I am really glad to be here tonight with the only group (journalists) in America whose approval rating is lower than mine." He then expressed gratitude to reporters covering Russia's invasion of Ukraine and called for national unity to confront the war.

President Biden emphasized, "Misinformation has increased tremendously and is poisoning our democracy," adding, "The role of a free press has become much more important than in the last century."

Regarding former President Trump, Biden said, "Imagine if my predecessor showed up at tonight's dinner. That would be a coup." This was a joke referring to Trump’s claims of election fraud after losing the last election and inciting the Capitol riot.

President Biden acknowledged concerns about gathering tonight due to COVID-19, saying, "I know there are worries about us being here tonight because of COVID-19, but today we are here to show that America is coming out of the pandemic." He added, "Everyone has been vaccinated and received booster shots. Fox News reporters are here too," mocking Trump supporters who opposed vaccination and the conservative-leaning Fox News.

About 2,600 people attended the dinner, including journalists, media executives, government officials, as well as entertainers such as broadcaster and comedian Trevor Noah, actress and model Kim Kardashian, and comedian Pete Davidson. A slideshow was also prepared to honor the first two Black female journalists to join the WHCA and war correspondents who lost their lives covering the Ukraine crisis.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.