The White House Correspondents’ Dinner. A place where reporters and the reported could come together and celebrate Freedom of the Press. A place where both those in power and those seeking to question it could eat at the same table, and for the most part, take a well-aimed barb their way.
That seems a long time ago now. The dinner that took place on Saturday 27 April, without this year’s administration present, was a very different event from the raucous celebrity-glitzed evenings of bygone days. Sure, there were still the canapés and cocktails, but the atmosphere was a lot more sober and serious.
The historian Ron Chernow was substituted for the more usual stand-up comedian. Chernow is best known for the Broadway hit that was based on his biography of America’s Founding Father, Alexander Hamilton.
But rather than recanting history, Chernow gave us a frame of reference from Washington to Nixon, from Harding to Reagan, around the challenges between presidents and the press. This until now looked like child’s play when we recognize the issues between the U.S., CEOs and the modern journalist.
What he gave us was the chance to see this as a continuum, and one we need to disrupt to ensure that we revert to a world where the global, national, regional, and local press can probe, press and pursue the truth.
It’s an important lessons for companies and brands, whether you’re a small start-up or a global conglomerate like Philip Morris International, where I’m senior VP of global communications.
And last Saturday, I was in good company—it was exciting to be in a room of people who understand that the truth, even when it is painful, is a healing salve for nations and their people.
The glitz may have gone, instead there felt an emphasis on being smart. This was a group who were proud to be at a nerd prom, and there were no apologies for being brainiacs.
I saw a lot of familiar faces who recognized us from Davos, who were glad we had come to the Dinner. There is real room for sharing the story of our scientific findings. Also I found many people receptive to understanding the roles that we play in key countries, where the tax we generate is relevant to the country’s prosperity or where the jobs we create ensure a quality of life for those who work in agronomy or manufacturing.
Our number one dilemma at PMI is whether we should stay out of the limelight and try and avoid the fire, or whether we should be bold and proud and share our great transformation with any and all? The risk of putting up one’s head is the tall poppy can be trampled. But if I learned anything at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, it’s that honesty and press freedom go hand in hand, and the truth saves us all—always.
