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Trevor Noah begs U.S. journalists to ask themselves this one question every single day

“In America, you have the right to seek the truth and speak the truth, even if it makes people in power uncomfortable."

@birbigs/Twitter

Trevor Noah received high praise for his closing remarks at the 2022 White House Correspondents' Dinner.

It seems like almost a lifetime ago now, but back in 2022, for the first time in six years, the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner (WHCD) was held with the president of the United States in attendance in Washington, D.C. The WHCD has been a tradition in Washington for more than a century and for the past several decades it has taken the form of a comedic roast of both the government and the press. The dinner on April 30, 2022 was hosted by comedian and former host of "The Daily Show" Trevor Noah, who's known for his smart, witty commentary on social and political issues.

The "let's invite a comedian to publicly and viciously make fun of us for a couple of hours" idea may be a bit odd, but these events have proven quite popular over the years, with many viral moments (including President Obama's infamous GIF-worthy mic drop) coming from them. The dinner opened with Noah joking about it being a superspreader event, earning some uncomfortable laughter as the COVID-19 pandemic was still fresh, and then the individual roasts commenced. Noah didn't hold back slamming people across the political and media spectrum—all in good fun, of course—including President Biden himself.

But it was Noah's closing remarks that earned the most attention. In his signature style, Noah managed to bring a serious and thoughtful element to a night of ribbing and laughter when he admonished the press to recognize both their freedom and their responsibility.

- YouTube www.youtube.com


“If you ever begin to doubt your responsibilities, if you ever begin to doubt how meaningful it is, look no further than what’s happening in Ukraine," Noah told the reporters in the room. "Look at what’s happening there. Journalists are risking and even losing their lives to show the world what is happening. You realize how amazing that is?

“In America, you have the right to seek the truth and speak the truth, even if it makes people in power uncomfortable. Even if it makes your viewers or readers uncomfortable. You understand how amazing that is?" he reiterated.

Noah pointed out that he had just stood there and made fun of the president of the United States and he was going to be fine. Then he contrasted that with the reality Russian journalists are living under Vladimir Putin.

“Ask yourself this question," he said to the members of the media. "If Russian journalists who are losing their livelihoods … and their freedom for daring to report on what their own government is doing—If they had the freedom to write any words, to show any stories, or to ask any questions—if they had, basically, what you have—would they be using it in the same way that you do?

"Ask yourself that question every day," he said, "because you have one of the most important roles in the world."

People had high praise for Noah's entire evening of hosting, but especially for his closing remarks. Russia's war on Ukraine has put a spotlight on many things we tend to take for granted, including the freedom of the press.

Journalists play a vital role in society and it's one they must take seriously. To be fair, most journalists do feel the weight of their responsibility, but the corporatization of news media and a 24/7 news cycle has created a competitive landscape in which coverage is sometimes determined by what will drive traffic or viewers rather than on what's truly newsworthy or important. The demonization of news outlets by some has also created a hostile media environment, and news organizations have to resist the urge to kowtow to the loudest voices or inadvertently amplify the wrong things. Journalists often have to fight for the truth on multiple fronts, sometimes inside their own newsrooms.

As we see attacks on the media ramping up, both legitimate criticisms and blatant violations of the first amendment, the responsibility shouldered by journalists is weightier than ever. Speaking truth to and about power may not always be popular, and being careful to get the facts straight may not result in as many clicks as sensational or conspiratorial headlines do, but when you cut through the noise of social media and the political melee, what will endure—hopefully—is the real reporting of what's actually happening. In addition to the public need to be intelligently and accurately informed, future generations will depend on the historical record that real reporters and journalists help provide.

Thank you, Trevor Noah, for reminding reporters that the fight is worth it and for using this opportunity to remind the press of its primary purpose with such a simple yet profound question.

This article originally appeared three years ago. It has been updated.

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Democracy

Biden transformed an attack from one of his biggest critics into a hilarious re-election ad

That didn't go as expected. 😂

@joebiden/Twitter

Who knew Marjorie Taylor Greene was such a Biden fan?

Sometimes all it takes is flipping the narrative to turn our biggest critics into our most loyal fans.

That is quite literally what the Biden administration did when Georgia Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene tried to criticize the president by comparing his programs to those of Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson during a Turning Point Action Conference.

Greene’s speech was intended to label this comparison as a bad thing, but many were quick to note that much of what she said: improving education, poverty and healthcare, didn’t sound like quite the atrocities she was making them out to be.

Biden's team decided to use Greene’s critical rhetoric to their advantage. All it took was a little editing, along with some uplifting music, to turn Greene’s attack on Biden into a passionate ad campaign effectively endorsing him.

In the video shared to Biden’s Twitter account, Greene declares that “Joe Biden had the largest public investment in social infrastructure and environmental programs, that is actually finishing what FDR started, that LBJ expanded on, and Joe Biden is attempting to complete.”

“Programs to address education, medical care, urban problems, rural poverty, transportation, Medicare, Medicaid, labor unions, and he still is working on it,” she concludes.

Adding insult to injury, Biden tweeted “I approve of this message,” along with the message.

Greene’s extreme rhetoric and unfounded outbursts are hardly a laughing matter, especially coming from someone in a leadership position. But it’s turning out to be perfect fodder to make Biden appear more level-headed. All in all, it's a wholesome comeback that ultimately has more to do with focusing on solutions and less about "owning" someone.

It's like the saying goes, "Don't get mad. Get even."

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Michelle Obama tells Kelly Clarkson why she loves living the 'empty nester' life

via The Kelly Clarkson Show

Former First Lady Michelle Obama was clear about who's had a tougher time dealing with their daughters, Malia, 22, and Sasha, 19, leaving home to go to college.

"Oh, my husband," she said of former President Barack Obama. "He was weeping and ... he still is like, 'They left me!'" Michelle was totally ready for them to go off to school. "I was like, 'Kick them out the door,'' she joked.

Malia is currently a senior at Harvard and Sasha is a sophomore at the University of Michigan.

However, once the Obamas started getting used to the next phase in their lives, COVID-19 hit and the kids had to move back home and study online.

Now, Michelle has to fight to keep track of her makeup and clothes while Barack simply enjoys his daughters' company.

Michelle Obama Says Barack Obama Is Having A Tough Time As An Empty Nesterwww.youtube.com

"It's like, 'Get out of my closet!'" she said. "And he's also a man, so they're not borrowing his makeup. They're not stealing his, you know. I can't find anything with these little women in my house. They're always sneaking into my room, and I'm like, 'What are you doing? What are you taking? Put that back!'"

So, once again, Michelle couldn't wait for her kids to go back to school. "I'm like, 'When does school get back in session? When can they go back to those dorms?" Michelle said.

Michelle's perspective on her children is a bit different than her husband's. She played a more active role in their upbringing because Barack was busy performing the most difficult job in the world. "I spent all my time with them, he was President," she told Kelly Clarkson.

The Obamas walk their dog, Bo.via Wikimedia Commons

Last year, Michelle told Oprah Winfrey that raising two children in the Washington limelight was no easy task, so sending them off to college was an incredible relief.

"Parenting takes up a lot of emotional space … I put a lot of time and energy into parenting these girls but right now we are trying to make their lives normal — so that means weekends were a pain," she said.

"We had to worry about what parties they were going to, whether there was alcohol, I had to know who the parents were, so every weekend for me was hard," Michelle said.

"And they're gone, thank God," the "Becoming" author joked.

The fact that Barack Obama has suffered a greater feeling of loss than Michelle after their kids left the nest isn't a rare thing. Studies show that somewhere between 20 to 25% of parents get Empty Nest Syndrome (ENS), after their kids move out, and it affects men almost as often as women.

People with ENS experience a profound feeling of loss after their children have left the home. It can lead to depression, alcoholism, identity crisis, and marital problems.

One of the best ways for people to overcome the loss of their children at home is to get out and start new projects and the Obamas have excelled at that. Barack just launched a new podcast with Bruce Springsteen called, "Renegades: Born in the USA" and Michelle has a new children's TV called "Waffles + Mochi."

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President Biden marked today's COVID milestone with a loving and sobering message to all Americans

Jeff Mason/Twitter

Just over a month after passing the grim milestone of 400,000 deaths from COVID-19, the United States has surpassed another one. As of today, more than half a million Americans have been lost to the virus that's held the world in a pandemic holding pattern for almost a year. It's a number that seemed unfathomable even six months ago, and yet here we are.

Despite increasing vaccine rollouts allowing us to see the light at the end of the tunnel, the loss we've experienced is immense. Having a president who not only understands loss on a personal level—having endured the tragic loss of his wife and baby daughter earlier in life and the death of his son just six years ago—but who conveys with compassion the grief of the nation as we mark this milestone is a comforting change.

Tonight, the White House honored the 500,000+ lives lost with a display of 500 candles lining the steps of the building, with each candle representing 1000 Americans. The president and first lady, along with the vice president and second gentleman, held a memorial moment of silence outside the South Portico as a military band played "Amazing Grace."

Prior to the candle ceremony, President Biden spoke to the nation about the importance of marking this milestone, offered words of empathy and caring to those who've lost loved ones, and shared a message of unity and hope.

Biden started by sharing that he receives a card each day that he keeps with this schedule in his pocket that shows how many Americans have been infected with or died from COVID-19.

"Today we mark a truly grim, heartbreaking milestone: 500,071 dead," he said. "That's more Americans who have died in one year in this pandemic than in World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War combined. That's more lives lost to this virus than any other nation on Earth. But as we acknowledge the scale of this mass death in America we remember each person and the life they lived. They're people we knew. They're people we feel like we knew. Read the obituaries and the remembrances. The son who called his mom every night just to check in, the father's daughter who lit up his world, the friend who was always there, the nurse who made her patients want to live."

"While we've been fighting this pandemic for so long, we have to resist becoming numb to the sorrow," he said. "We have to resist viewing each life as a statistic or a blur or one the news. We must do so to honor the dead, but equally important, care for the living that are left behind. For the loved ones left behind, I know all too well. I know what it's like to not be there when it happens. I know what it's like when you are there, holding their hands as they look in your eye and they slip away. That black hole in your chest, you feel like you're being sucked into it. The survivor's remorse, the anger. The questions of faith in your soul..."

Biden spoke directly to those who are grieving lost loved ones, sharing what he's learned through his own experiences of loss.

"To heal, we must remember," he said. "It's important to do that as a nation. For those who've lost loved ones, this is what I know: They're never truly gone. They'll always be part of your heart. I know this as well—and it seems unbelievable—but I promise you the day will come when the memory of the loved one you lost will bring a smile to your lips before a tear to your eye. It will come, I promise you. My prayer for you is that they will come sooner rather than later. And that's when you know you're gonna be okay. You're gonna be okay."

Biden spoke about finding a purpose worthy of the lives our loved ones lived and asked all Americans to remain diligent about social distancing, masking, and getting vaccinated when it's your turn.

"We must end the politics and misinformation that's divided families, communities, and the country, and that's cost too many lives already," he said. "It's not Democrats and Republicans that are dying from the virus. It's our fellow Americans, it's our neighbors, our friends, our mothers, our fathers, our sons, our daughters, husbands and wives. We have to fight this together, as one people."

"Let this not be a story of how far we fell, but how far we climbed back up," he said. "We can do this. For in this year of profound loss, we've seen profound courage from all of you on the front lines. I know the stress, the trauma, and the grief you carry. But you keep us going. You remind us that we do take care of our own, that we leave nobody behind, and that while we've been humbled, we've never given up. We are America. We can and will do this."

Biden's whole speech is worth a watch. You can find it in its entirety along with the memorial candle ceremony here:

Biden Holds Memorial For 500,000 U.S. Covid Deaths | NBC Newsyoutu.be

Thank you, President Biden, for marking this milestone with such compassion and for offering heartfelt words of wisdom and experience to those who are suffering the loss of loved ones to this virus. That empathy is what we've been desperately yearning for, as our shared humanity is the only thing that will get us through the crises we face without doing further damage to our nation.

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