The do’s and don’ts of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner weekend

It’s that time of year again: White House Correspondents’ Dinner weekend. While it may seem that the only thing the Washington press corps likes more than this weekend is trashing it as decadent and self-indulgent, the truth is that we only do it to assuage our own guilt. The idea that we talk about the sanctity of the free press while sipping cocktails and eating half-cooked chicken with the very people with whom we’re supposed to have an adversarial relationship is… uncomfortable for a lot of people.

Nevertheless, after the long hours reporting on everything from Mike Johnson’s Mojo Dojo Casa House of Representatives, the crisis in the Middle East, and the repeat election no one wants to see, the weekend is a chance to enjoy ourselves. It’s also the last gas of fun before many of us hit the campaign trail. After this, it’s all filing copy from the middle of the Arizona desert, the suburbs of Atlanta or the steel mills of Wisconsin, away from our friends and family.

So, we reason, we deserve a little treat.

However, like with any celebration weekend, there are still rules — most of them unspoken. For the unitiated, here is the official Inside Washington list of Do’s and Don’ts to survive what is affectionately known as Nerd Prom.

While television journalists and correspondents know how to clean up for the cameras, let’s face it: us ink-stained wretches who also work in pixels don’t have the best sartorial reputation.

Print and digital reporters are often known for having coffee stains on our shirts, wearing rumpled clothes from long nights covering the most powerful people in the world, or otherwise writing up stories in our pandemic-era “athleisure”. This weekend’s the time to freshen up and look our best —