L''''association des correspondants accrédités à la Maison Blanche''', ou '''WHCA''' (''White House Correspondents' Association''), est une association américaine regroupant les journalistes qui couvrent l'actualité du président des États-Unis d'Amérique. L'association traite directement avec l'administration présidentielle des questions de couverture médiatique et de logistique. La WHCA fut fondée en 1914, en réaction à une rumeur accusant l'administration présidentielle de choisir et sélectionner les journalistes autorisés à assister à la conférence de presse du président Woodrow Wilson.

== Le gala annuel de la WHCA ==
Depuis 1924, le gala annuel est une tradition nationale durant lequel le président et le vice-président des États-Unis comparaissent. Treize présidents ont assisté au gala du WHCA, dont le premier fut Calvin Coolidge en 1924. L'évènement se déroule la soirée du dernier samedi du mois d'avril.

Depuis plusieurs années, le président doit présenter après le dîner un sketch dans lequel il pratique l'autodérision, et donc se moque de lui-même. Cette performance est parfois effectuée par le président lui-même, parfois par un comédien ou humoriste. La performance est parfois accompagnée d'un film de courte durée faisant participer le président ou l'orateur.

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The '''White House Correspondents' Association''' (WHCA) is an organization of journalists who cover the Congressional committee would select which journalists could attend press conferences of President Woodrow Wilson.<ref name="history">[http://www.whca.net/history.html Unverifiable leak leads to modern WHCA], from the WHCA website</ref>  Among the issues handled by the WHCA are press access to the President and physical conditions in White House press briefing rooms.<ref name="Compton">[http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003576059 Joe Strupp, ''Incoming WHCA Prez: Next Year's Dinner Will Not Be 'Politically Correct' '', Editor and Publisher, April 25, 2007]</ref>

==Officers==
The president of the association is Ann Compton of ABC News. A complete list of current
[http://www.whca.net/officers.htm officers and board members] is available on the WHCA site.

==WHCA Dinner (WHCD)==
The WHCA's annual dinner, begun in 1920, has become a Vice President.<ref name="history" /> Thirteen presidents have attended a WHCA dinner, beginning with Calvin Coolidge in 1924.<ref name="history" />  The dinner is held on the evening of the last Saturday in April at the Washington Hilton.

Prior to roast, especially of the President.

In several recent years, the dinner has fallen shortly after major national events and tragedies, such as the Waco incident, the Columbine shooting, and the Virginia Tech Massacre, thus dampening the spirit of the event.<ref name="Compton"> </ref>

===Dinner Criticisms===
The WHCD has been increasingly criticized as an example of the coziness between the White House press corps and the Administration.<ref name="Scully">[http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003575828 Joe Strupp, ''WHCA Prez Defends Dinner Amid Criticism Of 'Coziness' and Rich Little'', Editor and Publisher, April 24, 2007]</ref>  The dinner typically includes a skit, either live or videotaped, by the sitting President in which he mocks himself, for the amusement of the press corps.<ref name="Scully"> </ref>  The press corps, in turn, hobnobs with Administration officials, even those who are unpopular and are not regularly cooperative with the press.<ref name="Scully"> </ref>  Increasing scrutiny by bloggers has contributed to added public focus on this friendliness.<ref name="Scully"> </ref>

After the 2007 dinner, New York Times columnist Frank Rich implied that the Times will no longer participate in the dinners.<ref name="Rich">[http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003578021 ''Frank Rich: 'NY Times' Will No Longer Participate in WHCA Dinner'', Editor and Publisher, April 29, 2007]</ref>  Rich said that the event is "a crystallization of the press's failures in the post-9/11 era" because it "illustrates how easily a propaganda-driven White House can enlist the Washington news media in its shows."<ref name="Rich"> </ref>

In recent years, the dinners have drawn increasing public attention each year as the entertainers draw more interest, and the guest list grows "more Hollywood".<ref name="Compton"> </ref>  The attention given to the guest list and entertainers often overshadows the intended purpose of the dinner, which is to "acknowledge award-winners, present scholarships, and give the press and the president an evening of friendly appreciation."<ref name="Compton"> </ref>  This has led to an atmosphere of coming the event only to "see and be seen."<ref name="Compton"> </ref>  This usually takes place at pre-dinner receptions and post-dinner parties hosted by various media organizations, which are often a bigger draw and can be more exclusive than the dinners themselves.<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/22/AR2007042201465.html Libby Copeland and Dana Milbank, The In-Crowd Steps Out: After the Correspondents' Dinner, Parties Are Icing on the Cake, Washington Post, April 23, 2007]</ref><ref>[http://washingtontimes.com/entertainment/20070422-111846-8128r.htm Taking Names, Washington Times, April 23, 2007]</ref><ref>[http://blogs.chron.com/whitehouse/archives/2007/04/saturday_night_1.html Julie Mason, News Watch: The White House blog, Houston Chronicle, April 22, 2007]</ref><ref>[http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/04/22/celeb-watching-at-the-correspondents-dinner/ Ashley Parker, Celeb-Watching at the Correspondents Dinner, The Caucus blog, New York Times, April 22, 2007]</ref><ref>[http://www.examiner.com/a-689140~Yeas___Nays__Monday__Apr__23.html Jeff Dufour and Patrick Gavin, Yeas & Nays, The (Washington) Examiner, April 23, 2007]</ref>

===Timeline of WHCD Performances===

==== 1945 dinner ====
Performers included Frank Sinatra, Danny Thomas, Jimmy Durante, Fanny Brice and Danny Kaye.

==== 1969 dinner ====
President Richard Nixon personally requested the Disneyland Golden Horseshoe Revue.

==== 1975 dinner ====
The dinner featured President Ford rose to speak, he "accidentally" caught a tablecloth in his trousers, causing silverware to fall in Chase's lap.  He also pretended to trip as he approached the podium, flinging pages he was carrying into the audience&mdash;he then began his speech with "Good evening. I'm Gerald Ford and you're not" (a reference to Chase's catchphrase from ''Weekend Update'').<ref name="ford"/>

==== 1985 dinner ====
Rich Little and President Ronald Reagan in a dual press conference skit.

==== 1988 dinner ====
Yakov Smirnoff<ref>[http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1988/042188d.htm Remarks at the Annual White House Correspondents Association Dinner], from the website of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library</ref>

==== 1993 dinner ====
Elayne Boosler

==== 1994 dinner ====
Al Franken<ref>[http://home.hawaii.rr.com/snlcn/franken/whcd2.html Al Franken's 1994 speech], from the website of a Franken fan</ref>

==== 1995 dinner ====
Conan O'Brien

==== 1996 dinner ====
Al Franken, Don Imus
<!-- Don Imus is often cited, but he spoke a month earlier at the Radio & Television Correspondents Dinner (see that article) -->

==== 1997 dinner ====
Jon Stewart

==== 1998 dinner ====
Ray Romano

==== 1999 dinner ====
Aretha Franklin, entertainment (NBC's Brian Williams in skit)