On a Saturday evening in late April, the ballroom of the Washington Hilton will feature the annual tradition of reporters dressing up in tuxedos and gowns to mingle, network, and celebrate their profession. But this year, when Donald Trump looks out into the crowd, he might spot some of those attending the White House Correspondents’ Association’s gala sporting unusual accessories: pocket squares and pins with the words of the First Amendment, in a subversive gesture supporting press freedom, reflecting the news media’s consciousness of the perilous moment it’s in, and why.
The First Amendment merchandise is part of a campaign, first reported here by Status, from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, designed to provide the press corps with a visible way of signaling support for press freedom on the one night of the year when the industry gathers in full force. Like members of Congress coordinating colors to make a political statement during the State of the Union Address, the display will be subtle, not to take away from the purpose of the event, but it serves as a symbolic demonstration that Trump won’t be able to miss from his seat on stage.
The idea for the limited-run line, organizers told Status, grew out of a recurring question: how can people show up for the First Amendment in a tangible way? The question carries added weight this year with Trump set to attend the WHCA dinner after skipping the event throughout his first term—an absence that underscored his hostility toward the press. His scheduled appearance at the dinner stands in stark contrast to his ongoing assault on the press in his second term.
Whether items like pocket squares, tote bags, and phone wallets bearing the text “Congress shall make no law abridging the Freedom of Speech or of the Press”—a hand-drawn design by CNN’s Jake Tapper—rise to the occasion while rubbing elbows with a president who regularly labels journalists “enemies of the people,” will surely be debated. But the effort speaks to the elephant in the room: this is no ordinary WHCD, given the Trump administration’s overt attempts to discredit and undermine the press.
It’s worth retracing the degree to which Trump has exerted pressure on the media since his return to the presidency. His administration has barred outlets from White House events, stripped the White House Correspondents’ Association of its traditional control over the press pool, booted the Associated Press over its refusal to use “Gulf of America,” defunded NPR and PBS, dismantled Voice of America, barred photojournalists from Defense Department briefings, and killed access for all reporters at the Pentagon during the U.S. military action in Iran. Trump has also waged legal battles against major news organizations, including ABC News, the BBC, CBS News, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times, clearly as a means of seeking more favorable coverage. Meanwhile, he has encouraged his attack dog at the Federal Communications Commission, chairman Brendan Carr, to openly threaten regulatory action against broadcasters and even late-night hosts for what they say. The result is a coordinated campaign that has tested the boundaries of the First Amendment.
In the background of this unprecedented press assault, the Reporters Committee has ramped up its response to the increasingly hostile environment. Communications director Jenn Topper told Status that the organization “is expanding our legal work pretty significantly,” and saw the WHCD as an opportunity “to tap into people who are really engaged on the issue, and raise awareness around the legal needs and the services that we offer.”
Organizers stopped short of explicitly tying the campaign to Trump’s attendance. But with the president set to return to the dinner after years of open hostility toward the press, it’s hard not to read the effort as something more than decorative. The merch serves as a way for journalists to publicly express their solidarity to Trump’s face, in a room where his strained relationship with the media will be on full display.
Top journalists have also embraced the effort. “I am so excited to wear this pocket square—especially at events in D.C. where there are many people who know how vital the First Amendment is, and also quite a few who might need to be reminded of its importance,” Tapper said.
Proceeds from the merchandise go to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, a pro bono legal group that helps journalists nationwide navigate everything from urgent legal threats to full-scale courtroom battles.
In that sense, while the pocket squares and pins may offer a visible display of solidarity, they represent a far more consequential fight playing out in courtrooms, regulatory agencies, and in the broader reshaping of the media business. For the Reporters Committee, the goal is not just to make a statement, but to channel that into resources to sustain and expand its legal work at a moment of heightened need.
The WHCD has traditionally been a night to put down the gloves, a brief détente between reporters and those they cover before lacing them up again and getting back to work. That reporters now feel compelled to make such a statement, even silently, offers a sober reminder of how far that relationship has deteriorated during the Trump era. A small gesture, perhaps, but one that speaks to the moment.
The Drudge Report on April 5, 2026. (Screen shot)
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After posting an explicit threat to Iran on Easter morning, ordering them to “Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell,” Donald Trump spent Sunday answering reporter calls and touting the rescue of a wounded military crew member.
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Jake Tapper repeated Trump’s use of profanity on CNN after warning viewers, as did MS NOW’s Eugene Daniels. Tapper also noted attacking civilian infrastructure could “constitute a war crime.” [HuffPo]
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The New York Times and other print outlets generally quoted the full expletive-tinged tirade. Broadcasters, held to a different standard and targeted by Trump’s FCC, didn’t.
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Marjorie Taylor Greene torched Trump’s threat, claiming it serves as evidence that he’s “gone insane,” and slamming those in the administration as “complicit.” [Mediaite]
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Paramount “is in talks to secure signed equity commitments of close to $24 billion from three sovereign-wealth funds led by Saudi Arabia to help back its takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery,” Jessica Toonkel and Lauren Thomas reported. [WSJ]
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Mark Ruffalo posted that “All the President’s Men” wouldn’t have gotten made today, citing the movie as a warning of “what may be lost” “as we watch Hollywood barrel towards a Paramount-Warner Bros. merger.” [Threads]
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The Writers Guild of America reached a tentative four-year deal with the AMPTP after less than a month of negotiations, though it still requires approval by WGA leadership and ratification by members. [THR]
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The key wrinkle for studios: the deal adds an extra year to the previous contract’s duration, extending labor peace in exchange primarily for increased health and pension contributions.
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Longtime “60 Minutes” correspondent Steve Kroft told Bill O’Reilly he “hated” working on the CBS News show, saying, “The job is just 24 hours a day.” [Variety]
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Savannah Guthrie reflected on “moments of deep disappointment with God” and “the feeling of utter abandonment” in an Easter message as her mother remains missing, but added, “I still believe.” [People]
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Pepsi canceled its sponsorship of a London music festival this summer after it was announced Kanye West would perform at the event. [BBC]
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West’s “Bully” debuted at No. 2 on Billboard, behind BTS. [Billboard]
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Status Scoop | Former NBC News/MSNBC Chairman Andy Lack and long-time girlfriend Bella Patton married over the weekend. The intimate gathering was attended by an outsized number of journalism and media luminaries, including Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, Walter Isaacson, David Zaslav, Steve Kroft, Jamie Gangel and Daniel Silva, John Huey, Jim Barksdake, Josh Sapan, Vicki Gordon, Ken Auletta and Binky Urban, Warwick Sabin, Adam Ganucheau, Ali Zelenko, and more.
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Lack, now co-founder and Executive Chairman of Deep South Today, recently announced a $7 million donation to non-profit news, on top of the $5 million he has already given to Deep South Today and his PBS show “Breaking the Deadlock.”
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“Saturday Night Live” opened with a spoof of the NCAA post-game show, featuring an appearance from recently fired Pam Bondi, played by Ashley Padilla. [YouTube]
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Several crew members walked off the set of Jonathan Majors’ untitled Daily Wire action film after the actor fell through a window, with producers reportedly saying they “don’t negotiate with communists” in response to safety concerns raised by the crew. [Deadline]
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Dan Levy told “CBS News Sunday Morning” that Catherine O’Hara’s death stopped any consideration of a “Schitt’s Creek” follow-up. [CBS News]
“The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.” (Photo by Nintendo and Illumination/Universal Pictures)
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“Super Mario Galaxy Movie” powered through the holiday weekend with a $131 million and $190 million five-day domestic haul, both highs for the year.
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Universal’s huge kickoff to the sequel totaled $372 million worldwide, a strong showing despite its weak reviews.
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“The Drama,” a dark comedy starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, played reasonably well as counter-programming to the animated hit, with $14 million.
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“Project Hail Mary” continues to sustain its orbit for Amazon MGM, falling a little more than 40% in its third weekend, adding another $30 million to its $217 million-and-counting domestic run.
The latest episode of our podcast Power Lines is out.
In this week’s episode: The White House tried to censor an AFP photo of Karoline Leavitt that she found to be unflattering. We break down our exclusive reporting on the behind-the-scenes meltdown at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue—and what the AFP said when we asked for comment on the scrubbed image.
Plus, we go deep on our reporting about Bari Weiss’ plan to overhaul “60 Minutes” when the current season ends, and look at how the battle for talent is fueling tensions between one-time sister networks MS NOW and NBC News. Finally, we answer viewer questions submitted via YouTube.
