Another Year, Another Media Wallow

The annual dinner where the smug Beltway media and their political "sources" mingle with celebrities from the entertainment world was held last night, and there were some good jabs at the broken state of the media and at the political elites.  First, Comedy Central's Larry Wilmore:

“Welcome to Negro Night here in Washington. Or as Fox News will report, ‘Two thugs disrupt elegant dinner in DC.'....

Nice to be here, though, at the White House correspondents’ dinner where, as you know, they’re gonna call it next year, ‘Donald Trump Hosts a Luxurious Dinner Paid For By Mexico.'....

I can’t understand why everybody treats Donald Trump with kid gloves. Then I realize they’re the only gloves that will fit his stupid little baby hands....

Speaking of drones, how is Wolf Blitzer still on television? Ask a follow up question! Hey Wolf, I’m ready to project tonight’s winner: Anyone that isn’t watching ‘The Situation Room'...

Some of America’s finest black journalists are here tonight. Don Lemon’s here, too....

There’s a joke going around the Internet that Ted Cruz is actually the Zodiac Killer. I’m not making that up. Come on, that is absurd. Some people actually liked the Zodiac Killer....

John Boehner came out of retirement and described Ted Cruz as Lucifer in the flesh. Lucifer. I mean that is not fair, man. Lucifer is horrible — but he’s not the Zodiac Killer....

You look terrible, Mr. President. No, you do, man. Look at you. Your hair is so white it tried to punch me at a Trump rally.”

President Obama, in his final dinner, had a few well-placed shots himself:

"Eight years ago I said it was time to change the tone of our politics. In hindsight, I clearly should have been more specific...

It’s not an entirely fair comparison between you and The Donald. After all Mike [Bloomberg] was a big city mayor. He knows policy in-depth. And he’s actually worth the amount of money he says he is....

I am hurt, though, Bernie, that you have been distancing yourself a little from me. I mean, that’s just not something you do to your comrade....

[Ted Cruz] went to Indiana — Hoosier country — stood on a basketball court, and called the hoop a ‘basketball ring.’ What else is in his lexicon? Baseball sticks? Football hats? But sure, I’m the foreign one. . .

Savannah Guthrie, she’s left the White House press corps to host the ‘Today’ show. Norah O’Donnell left the briefing room to host CBS’ ‘This Morning.’ Jake Tapper left journalism to join CNN...

Every year at this dinner, somebody at this dinner makes a joke about Buzzfeed, for example, changing the media landscape. And every year The Washington Post laughs a little bit less hard...

There’s one area where Donald’s experience could be invaluable, because Trump knows a thing or two about running waterfront properties into the ground...

That’s probably enough. I’ve got more material. I don’t want to spend too much time on The Donald. Following your lead, I want to show some restraint...

The guy wanted to give his hotel business a boost, and now we’re praying the Cleveland makes it through July.”

Watching clips from the White House Correspondents Dinner, it's clear that the most revealing and honest -- but painful -- jokes about the press were met with almost a hush in the packed room. It's still  nearly impossible for them to see themselves as failing in their job of seeking out and reporting facts and to separate  themselves from the kind of self-important extravagance they were wallowing in last night.