story that was seared into our memory and consciousness, the nation's consciousness, when mrs till insisted on an open casket for her murdered and maimed 14—year—old son. she said, let the people see what i've seen. the reason the world saw what she saw was because of another hero in the story. the black press. that's a fact. the chicago defender. black radio and newspapers were unflinching and newspapers were unflinching and brave in making sure america saw what she saw. and i mean it. cheering and applause. wells once said, the way to right a wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon the wrongs. turn the light of truth upon the wrongs. that is a sacred view in my view, that is a sacred charge, a free press, and i mean that. that's what someone we still missed so much but we honour posthumously stood for. gwen arthur. she was among the very best. she moderated my first attempt at vice president and was a trusted voice for millions of americans. understood that the louder the noise, the more it's on all of us to cut through the noise to the truth. the truth matters. as i said last year at this dinner, poison is running through our democracy. and part of the extreme press. truth buried by lies. and lies living on as truth. lies toll for profit and power. lies of conspiracy and malice repeated over and over again, designed to generate a cycle of anger, hate and even violence. a cycle that emboldens, history to be buried, books to be banned, children and families to be attacked by the state. and the rule of law and our rights and freedoms to be stripped away. elected representatives of the people are expelled from state houses for standing for the people. i made clear that we know in our bones, and you know it too, our democracy remains at risk. i've also made it clear, as i've seen throughout my life, it's within our power, each and every one of us, to preserve our democracy. we can, we must, we will. i would like to make a toast, if i had a glass... laughter. my my grandfather, ambrose finnegan, said if you ever make a toast without liquor, you have to hold it in your left hand. you think i'm kidding, i'm not! probably the only irishman you've ever met who's never had a drink in his life, anyway... i would like to make anyway... i would like to make a toast. at this inflection point in history, let us commit that we will be a nation to embrace light over darkness, trace over lies, and finally, finally, restore the soul of the nation. —— proved over lies. hear hear. ladies and gentlemen... can i give you that? i'm going to turn us over to roy. i'm going to be fine with yourjokes, but i'm not sure about dark brandon... cheering and applause. all yours, pal. thank you, mr president, i think! _ it is now my great pleasure to introduce _ it is now my great pleasure to introduce our headliner for the night, — introduce our headliner for the night, roy wood junior. cheering and applause. he isa he is a correspondent for the daily— he is a correspondent for the daily show whojust he is a correspondent for the daily show who just had a killer_ daily show who just had a killer week as guest host. but he doesn'tjust play a fake journalist on tv. florida a and m university, broadcast journalism, and he spent 13 years— journalism, and he spent 13 years on_ journalism, and he spent 13 years on morning radio in birmingham, alabama, at the same— birmingham, alabama, at the same station where his father, a pioneering radiojournalist, once — a pioneering radiojournalist, once worked. without further ado, _ once worked. without further ado. let's_ once worked. without further ado, let's give it up for roy wood — ado, let's give it up for roy wood junior. cheering and applause. give it up for dark brandon! hgppy happy to be here. real quick, mr president, i think you left some of your classified documents appear... i'll put them in a safe place, he don't know where to keep them... hgppy know where to keep them... happy to be here, though. happy to be here. very happy, very happy to be here. it's a pleasure to be here amongst our country's greatest leaders. distinguished media organisations. both property brothers and doctor frankie. —— anthony foundry. take a picture with him. but you all look good. you are dressed nice, you have the nice threads, you've got the duly glistening. look like everybody got piece of that settlement money from fox news. and that's all i have to say about that. because i'm not going to have dominion on my ass. i love dominion, let me say right now, my favourite voting machine is dominion voting machine is dominion voting machines... when i go to the polls, i make sure it is a dominion machine that i use. if your election needs the truth, put dominion in your booth. iain't going i ain't going to get to dream up i ain't going to get to dream up those three people you don't want to see in a court room, dominion, cardy b, gwyneth paltrow. you're going to lose! i'd to thank the white house correspondents association for having me, thank you. i'm well aware that not everybody in this room knows who i am so lets just address the elephant in the room. half this room think i'm kenan thompson. the other half think i'm louis armstrong. president biden thinks i'm the daddy off family matters. nonetheless, i'm happy to be here at this event amongst government officials who speak to msnbc, former government officials who now work at msnbc, and future government officials who currently work at msnbc. .. officials who currently work at msnbc... and often, the purpose of the dinner tonight, the overlooked purpose is to award scholarships to students who have shown great achievements in journalism. have shown great achievements injournalism. that's right... these brave young souls are the future of the industry and i would like to stop right now and congratulate tonight's top scholarship recipient, arizona state senior george santos... laughter. george couldn't be here tonight, he is auditioning for rupaul�*s drag race. we say good luck to you, george. sashay away. speaking of drag queens, can we stop with the grooming stuff, stop talking about that, drag queens are not at a school to groom your kids. stop it! and even if they were, most of them kids are going to get shot at school, it ain't no problem! don't groan... pass legislation! i'm like mitch mcconnell, i ain't got no soul. it's a tumultuous time in the media, though. we have lay—offs everywhere. buzzfeed news, washington post, espn, paramount global right now is considering offers from byron allen and tyler perry to purchase bet, that's how bad it is out there, these countries are so broke, they are giving bet back to black people! —— these companies. that's not what we meant when we said we wanted reparations, we want cash! but tonight, we are all unified in one thing. that's scandal. scandals have been devouring careers this year. the untouchable tucker carlson is out of a job. 0k, some people celebrating... but to his staff, i want you to know i know what you're feeling, i work at the daily show so i too have been blindsided by the sudden departure of of the host of a fake news programme. tucker got caught up. text message stuff. succession is power for succession is powerfor white people... no, tucker carlson is powerfor people... no, tucker carlson is power for white people. people... no, tucker carlson is powerfor white people. no, that's why power... never mind, don't worry about that. we've got to get tucker back on the air, mr president, because right now there were millions of americans who don't even know why they hate you. fox claimed dominion conspired with the democrats to rig the election, and the democrats should be flattered that they thought that you all were smart enough to rig an election. warnock needed a run off to beat a werewolf. but it's not overfor beat a werewolf. but it's not over for you, beat a werewolf. but it's not overforyou, fox beat a werewolf. but it's not overfor you, fox news. you have more bad news coming down the pipe. the smart matic voting machine lawsuit is coming and they want more money than dominion. so my favourite voting machine is the smart matic voting machine... if your election needs the truth, put smart matic in your booth. but i think it's fair that we should give credit where credit is due, tucker carlson is the first post to get fired from fox news or something that's only partially about how treats women. that's progress. —— for something. he shattered the ass hole ceiling... john lennon released a statement saying he got fired from cnn, —— don lemon released a statement saying he got fired from cnn. he can't even accurately report a story about himself, they said they parted ways. i still think don deserves more, cnn. that ain't how you fire somebody. it's messed up. how it that you worked in the news and then watch the news to see you got fired by the news. don lemon is now the most obnoxious quy lemon is now the most obnoxious guy in the history of cnn. even jesse looking and thinking, oh, he rubbed me the wrong way... letting don go was the wrong move. you shouldn't have let him go, not this soon, cnn. he was fine when you were letting him drink, you shouldn't have cut off his liquor. you don't fire your host after the first couple of scandals, the scandals have to stack up, you've got to get ratings. yes, don lemon was a diva, but that's a promotion at fox news. but i ultimately understand why cnn did what they did. i get it, it's about morals. no place on airfor someone who it, it's about morals. no place on air for someone who speaks with wild disregard and doesn't consider the blowback to their co—workers or their company. thankfully, cnn has taken steps in the right direction, they got rid of don lemon and they have now given a show to charles barkley... charles ba rkley�*s charles barkley... charles barkley�*s co—host, gayle king, we say, good luck. i think it's going to be a good show, the whole show will be charles saying something crazy and gayle king looking into the camera... charles... charles... scandals. that's what connects us. so many scandals. the king of scandals, president donald trump. can wejust of scandals, president donald trump. can we just all be honest and say that the trump arrest didn't hit like we thought it was going to hit? we are so desensitised to scandals, that arrest didn't do what we thought. it was like something you ate four hours ago, do i feeljustice? this don't feel like justice... ago, do i feeljustice? this don't feel likejustice... let me try one of those george are arraignment rallies, maybe that will hit it. that's got some kick to it... there were too many trump scandals, keeping up with trump scandals is like watching star wars movies, you got to watch the third one to understand the first one, then you can't miss the second one because it has easter eggs for the fifth one. donald trump is the fifth one. donald trump is the only politician who scandals have got spin offs on disney plus. but the trump arrest has made everybody question what they believe. you thought you lean one way politically, then trump got locked up and everybody started waffling. it put republicans between a rock and a hard place. donald trump got locked up place. donald trump got locked up and foryears, place. donald trump got locked up and for years, they've been saying, we've got to get tough on crime. trump got arrested... we meant black crime... the same thing with the liberals. the liberals were all confused after trump got arrested, we got to abolish prison. trump got to abolish prison. trump got arrested... bring it all back. i don't know about you all, but for me, the easiest scandal to follow was the trump document scandal. it was simple, they are supposed to be in the white house, they ain't. in the media, you alljumped on that story, as soon as the trump documents story broke, everyone was down to mar—a—lago, reporting live, we're going to find the documents. and then we found outjoe biden have documents too and it was like, oh, it's not a big deal, everybody got documents... mike pence had some documents. 0h, documents... mike pence had some documents. oh, look, a chinese balloon, look at that! well done, media. happy to be here, very happy to be here. if there's one person that could use a scandal, it's ron desantis. that boy's just desa ntis. that boy's just running desantis. that boy's just running around passing every controversial law he can think of, thinking that's going to activate voters. that's not how you activate voters in this country, ron. this is america, we don't pass laws, you make a promise to voters and then you don't do it. that's what the great leaders in this room understand. you know how to make things not happen. the only thing ron desantis has done that i've got to give him credit for, this boy has got people wild up over stuff they can't understand. they don't know what critical race theory is. got people riled up about something they can't even define, like crypto or nfts. ask any republican to try to explain, they sound like a democrat trying to explain the charges against trump. it's bad, they are everywhere... we've got to stop it, we've got files, i'll be right back, i'm rachel mido, i have files. rachel mido, i have files. rachel got no smiles on you, that's a wrap. republicans, you all would be surprised if you would just be real about what crt is, we might meet you halfway. but you can't lie to black people, call it what it is, and he crt policies are an attack on black history and an attempt to evade the contributions of black people is on the history books. —— anti—c r t policies. you are trying to raise black people and a lot of people wouldn't mind as long as that black person is clarence thomas. a billionaire named harlan crowe flying clarence thomas all over the world on unreported trips like an instagram model. to the beaches, paid for his momma's house. i got to give it up to billionaires. you all always come up with something new to buy. just when you think of everything you could buy on earth, a billionaire will come up earth, a billionaire will come up with a new thing. space rockets, twitter... this man bought a supreme courtjustice. do you understand how rich you have to be to buy a supreme courtjustice? a black one, on top of that! there were only two in stock. and harlan crowe owns half the inventory. we can all see clarence thomas, but he belongs to billionaire harlan crowe. and that's what an nft is. everybody�*s got some scandals. despite the challenging times we live in, i look around this room and i see people that are hard—working. many of you, i don't even think you should be working that hard. we should be inspired by the events in france. they rioted when the retirement age went up two years to 64. they rioted because they didn't want to work until 64. meanwhile in america we have an 80—year—old man begging us forfour more years of work. beijing... beijing... —— begging... let years of work. beijing... beijin9--- -- begging... let me finish thejob, that's not beijin9--- -- begging... let me finish the job, that's not a slogan, that is a plea. let me finish, let me finish... i do wish you the best of luck on the cannes plain date—macro campaign trail, mr president. you got a lot of things. —— on the campaign trail, mr president. we know about the document and the laptop, but there's been no scandal more damaging than the scandal of is joe biden awake? say what you want about our president, but when he wakes up from that map, work gets done. he might doze off, but then, mmm, infrastructure bill, student loan forgiveness... did we free britney greiner! but i think the most insulting scandal to stall to the feet of the biden administration is placed at the feet of our madam vice president. the scandal of what does kamala do? which is a disrespectful question. because nobody ever asked that question of the vice president until a woman got thejob. applause. i don't know what mike pence did. i know he's really good at playing hide and seek at the capitol. you got to be crafty to catch mike pence at the capitol. he knows all the nooks and crannies. don't put the camera on her name pencejoke! do that. they trying to set you up, madam vice president. at the end of the day, as advised president, all you got to do is be better than dick cheney. just be better than dick cheney. they made a documentary about dick cheney. i don't know much about the job of vice president, cheney. i don't know much about thejob of vice president, but i know if they can make a documentary about your time as vice president, you vice presidented incorrectly... and is a vice president'sjob isjust waiting to and is a vice president'sjob is just waiting to step in and save the country in case of emergency, then the job save the country in case of emergency, then thejob is save the country in case of emergency, then the job is a perfectjob for a black emergency, then the job is a perfect job for a black woman. shouldn't be, but it is. whatever you do accomplish, all they are going to do is give a man credit for it. anything you do, immigration stuff, the internet down there, taking care of postpartum stuff, they are going to give a man credit. by are going to give a man credit. by the way, mr president, great job of being the first woman vice president. of colour, i don't even know how you did that part. wonderfuljob. happy to be here. but tonight is all about you all, thejournalists, the defenders of free speech. people who show truth to the world through different mediums, television, print, radio, through whatever china let rc on tick—tock. —— whatever china let at sea on tick—tock. but the industry that covers all these scandals isn't immune. —— whatever china lets us see on tick—tock. most people can't afford that. all the essential and nuanced reporting is behind a pay wall. people can't afford rent, food, not healthy food, and education, they damn sure can't afford to pay for the truth. say what you want about a conspiracy theory, but at least it's affordable. unless you are alex jones, it's affordable. unless you are alexjones, it cost it's affordable. unless you are alex jones, it cost you it's affordable. unless you are alexjones, it cost you about 900 million... and i understand we have to put this stuff behind a pay wall because creating the trees is important. people can't afford the truth but you all can afford to go and find the truth forced labour. the work you do as journalists is important, essential, dangerous. —— and find the truth for free. the south african soweto riots... my south african soweto riots... my dad covered that. the civil war in rhodesia, which we know as zimbabwe, my father came home and founded something in order to tell the stories. the american urban radio networks, they've been doing it 50 years and that's part of what my father wanted to do. and i know it was hard, because black daddies love telling you when something was difficult. they were shooting at me, boy, but i never dropped my tape recorder... my daddy tell war stories like brian williams. crowd groan. didn't laugh at that one, 0k! didn't laugh at that one, ok! good journalism costs, that's the truth of the matter. it costs the people but also costs the journalists, costs the people but also costs thejournalists, it can costs the people but also costs the journalists, it can cost you your freedom. a wall street journalist sitting in prison as we speak on espionage charges. espionage, that's the foreign equivalent of saying someone fits the description... hundreds ofjournalists hundreds of journalists imprisoned all over the hundreds ofjournalists imprisoned all over the world simply for doing theirjob. simply for doing their job. we've got simply for doing theirjob. we've got to defend great journalists. most national stories in this country, at some point, were first a local story. those stories were championed by reporters at outlets which many of them have now folded, and if we can't pay local reporters, as a country we are only left with that many more blindspots to what is happening. you hear about all these newsrooms getting cut, cutting people, cutting budgets, but you never hear about the multi—million dollar executives reducing their salaries within these organisations. now, how do we fix this? i don't know, i'm a comedian. it's not myjob to have the solution, that's our you is very important. my mother is here tonight. applause. she is furious right now because i am trying to put her on camera but my mother was part of black student protesters fighting for equality at delta state university. that was a dangerous time, but those types of incidents were covered by local reporters and some of the shame that came from the national embarrassment by treating people inhumanely is part of the pressure that helped create the