The White House Correspondents" Association could be facing a legal challenge to its decision to snub WorldNetDaily, the leading independent news site on the Web, by allocating only two seats to the organization"s annual black-tie dinner on May 1 to after requested and paid for three tables.
Larry Klayman, legal counsel for WND, confirmed he contacted the association today, and then dispatched via e-mail the suggestion, "Please contact me right away if you would prefer to settle this matter short of suit."
"If I do not hear from you by close of business Monday, March 22, 2010, a complaint will be filed the following day," Klayman told the association.
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reported earlier that in the past, has been afforded one table. This year asked for three and paid the full price in advance. According to Joseph Farah, editor and chief executive officer, was the first news organization to respond the day the tickets went on sale.
The news service"s check for $6,600 was cashed, and then the correspondents" association offered two seats for the dinner.
Ed Chen, president of the association, yesterday returned a call made requesting comment and said, "Well, basically a number of factors go into this. The demand has never been greater and almost nobody, individual or organization, can get more than what they had last year."
But he then got upset about the fact was reporting on the conflict and hung up on a reporter.
"Look at the response from the White House Press Correspondents Association president. He says, "Almost nobody, individual or organization, can get more than what they had last year." Note the "almost." Note that we are getting bupkiss no table at all," said Farah.
"We don"t want two seats. We won"t accept them. We"re one of the fastest growing news organizations in the country, while most of our competitors are shrinking. Yet, many of them are getting up six, seven, eight tables. On what basis are those decisions made? Has it occurred to Mr. Chen and his colleagues playing favorites like this and making up the rules as they go along is dangerous business and highly discriminatory?"
He continued, "This is not just a major social function. It"s a news event. Why is the White House press corps playing the role of palace guard here? What standards are they using to make fair and equitable decisions about who they allow in their party? Is this the new closed country club mentality of the 21st century?"
He confirmed has engaged Klayman, a legendary Washington attorney, to file an action if necessary to challenge the decision, since other news organizations have been afforded as many as eight tables, seating 10 each, for past dinners.
"Keep in mind, this shabby treatment is not just what the White House press corps thinks of WND. This is how they treat one of their own colleagues a man who has covered the White House since the Nixon days. There"s no respect here for seniority. There"s no attempt at fair play. This is about rewarding media insiders and friends with perks. This is why Washington journalists get even less respect from the American people in polls than do Washington politicians," Farah continued.
"The conduct of the White House Correspondents" Association would appear to a neutral observer to be a hit by the Obama White House using WHCA against WorldNetDaily," Klayman said.
He cited WND"s diligent reporting on the failings of the Obama administration as well as its extensive coverage of the numerous lawsuits questioning Obama"s eligibility for office because of the Constitution"s requirement that a president be a "natural born citizen."
On its commentary pages, has carried numerous criticisms of Obama and his plans.
"We"ve been through this kind of treatment by the Washington press corps in the past," said Joseph Farah. "We"ve grown to expect it, despite the fact that we are the oldest independent online news source on the Net, despite the fact that our White House press correspondent is the third most veteran member of those covering the White House and despite the fact that we always play by the rules."
Farah said the White House press corps and the correspondent association have shown nothing but antipathy for New Media enterprises like in general and even more disdain for those who subscribe to the traditional role of the American press as a vigorous watchdog on government.
Dating back to February 2002, was denied accreditation to the Senate Press Gallery for routine access to cover the Capitol. Ten days after threatened legal action against individual members of the Senate Press Gallery, was granted accreditation in September 2002.
This year, planned to debut a book about its White House press correspondent, Les Kinsolving, at the dinner, where Barack Obama will be the headliner. Kinsolving has served as a White House press correspondent since the Nixon administration, but, as Farah explains, is still treated with "disdain and contempt" by his colleagues and White House press secretary Robert Gibbs frequently being snubbed for questions while other correspondents are given multiple opportunities to grill him.
"This is an illustration of what some call the "government-media complex" or the "state-sponsored media,"" says Farah. "It"s one thing when you have to battle government secrecy and corruption, which we expect to do as part of our jobs as newsmen. It"s another thing when you have to battle your own colleagues who act like self-appointed press cops, blocking independent media from doing the job they refuse to do."
The correspondents" group explains on its website that it "represents the White House press corps in its dealings with the administration on coverage-related issues."
An elected board of directors addresses issues of access to the president, work space arrangements, logistics and costs for press travel to travel with the president.
Listed on the website as board members are Doug Mills of the New York Times, Steve Scully of C-SPAN, Don Gonyea of National Public Radio, Julie Mason of the DC Examiner and Caren Bohan of Reuters.
Jay Leno is scheduled to be a featured speaker at the May 1 event, and the group announced it is going green for the first time: "The association is taking action to reduce the carbon impact of its annual black-tie gala; these actions include using as much as possible renewable energy for the event, paper products, supplies and services that reduce the threat of global warming, deforestation, toxic wastes, hazardous chemicals and species extinction."
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