At the White House Correspondents’ Association, Cancel Culture Is No Joke

LivingthroughauthoritarianismisamuchricherandmorecomplexexperiencethanIexpected.Naively,I’dassumedthatadictatorjustsentsomethugstoshutdownthenewspapers,builthisownpropagandamachineandforcedthroughlawspunishing‘unpatriotic’speech.AfewbraveAlexeiNavalny-likefigureswouldpublishthetruthregardless,andsomeonewouldseetheirworkin50yearsandmakeanindependentmovieaboutthem. Butitturnsoutthat,assoonasthescentoffascismisintheair,mostjournalistssurrenderwithoutevenbeingasked.Lastyear,TheWashingtonPostandtheLosAngelesTimesbothpulledpresidentialendorsementsjustincaseTrumpwon.AndonSaturday,theWhiteHouseCorrespondents’AssociationyankedAmberRuffinfromhergighostingtheirannualdinneronApril26—becauseshesaidsomemeanthingsonTheDailyBeastPodcast. TheWhiteHouseCorrespondents’AssociationwasonceafearlessorganizationthatdecidedwhosatwhereatpressconferencesandranthenewsroomlocatedrightinsidetheWhiteHouse.Iknowhowbravetheywerebecause