White House Correspondents Dinner: One gigantic group hug.

Trevor Noah lays it on at the White House Correspondents group hug. (C-Span)

One of the most sought-after tickets in the media has been an invitation to the White House Correspondents Dinner, where you were on display as one of the nation’s most influential, admired and important insiders.

The best of the best, the finest of the finest. The self-absorbed hypocrites.

Without irony, host Trevor Noah, spread it on thick:

In America, you have the right to seek the truth and speak the truth even if it makes people in power uncomfortable. Even if it makes your viewers or your readers uncomfortable. You understand how amazing that is? I stood here tonight and I made fun of the president of the United States and I’m going to be fine. … Do you really understand what a blessing it is? Maybe it’s happened for so long, it might slip your mind. It’s a blessing

Ask yourself this question. If Russian journalists who are losing their livelihoods and their freedom for daring to report on what their own government is doing — if they had the freedom to write any words, to show any stories, or to ask any questions, if they had basically what you have, would they be using it in the same that you do? Ask yourself that question every day because you have one of the most important roles in the world

Let’s–as they say–unpack this

He said, you can speak truth to power, even if it makes the powerful, your readers or your viewers “uncomfortable.” Well, not if you’re a spreader of “dis”- or “mis-information.” You’re kicked off social media, even if you are the duly elected President of the United States. The New York Times and Washington Post will ignore you. So, who decides if you can speak truth to power? The powerful. The powerful who will turn you into a villain if they can’t silence. These are the very people who sat in the audience of 2,000, thinking, “Oh, how great we are.”He said, we’re thankful that in America, unlike Russia, you can’t lose your freedom for what you write, tell or ask. Sure. But you can lose your job. Like James Bennet, the New York Times editorial page editor, who was pushed out the door because he oversaw the the publication of an op-ed written by Republican Sen. Tom Cotton “calling for a military response to civic unrest in American cities.” The newsroom mob demanded retaliation for this blasphemy and the top managers complied with a full throated apology for giving voice to an “uncomfortable” viewpoint. In Chicago, let’s not forget how a self-appointed gang of newsroom employees went’ after columnist John Kass for speaking the truth about the powerful, liberal, billionaire George Soros.

I’m wondering: Does Russia have a “Disinformation Governing Board,” like the one President Biden just set up in the Homeland Security Dept. to flush out the misled and liars? Has Putin created a similar agency and staffed it with the most loyal of toadies? I’m guessing: Yes. Which should tell you a lot about Biden’s and his wokesters’ (dis)respect for free speech and the press.

Like pigs rolling in their stys, these “journalists” covered themselves with stink.

This dinner is journalism’s version of the Oscars, a gala of fancy dress and bloated egos. Journalists are almost as bad as Hollywood, in the amount of awards with which they honor themselves. Like the Pulitzer Prize that industry elites award to the New York Times and Washington Post for their “exposure” of President Donald Trump’s treasonous “collision” with Russia–a story that turned out to be merely a recital of the disinformation they were fed by Democratic operatives. Without shame, the papers and the Pulitzer board haven’t thought of returning or cancelling the award.

What’s saddest about this media self-love fest is that so many in the audience actually were sure that Trevor Noah was praising them. That they are the ones that ask the tough questions of everyone, regardless of his politics. That they are the necessary check on government–Trump’s that is, but not Biden’s.

If this were any other audience, they might have taken the hint. Did Noah issue a subtle invitation to do some soul searching about whether they were living up to the profession’s ideals.

Noah is a clever guy, so maybe his words were a hint–a “gentle admonition”–of what these journalists should be and not actually what they are. If so, they didn’t get it.

Here’s the complete Noah speech, courtesy of C-Span:

To correct Noah: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was not there. To subscribe to The Barbershop, type your email address in the box and click the “create subscription” button. My list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.