Examiner White House Correspondent Julie Mason was elected to the White House Correspondents’ Association Board with a strong vote of confidence from her peers.
Mason won a three-year term on the nine-member board, which represents the White House press corps on issues including access to the president and travel logistics. She took 85 correspondents’ votes to 29 for Steven Thomma of McClatchy Newspapers and 27 for Mike Allen of Politico.
Before joining The Examiner in October, Mason spent eight years covering national politics and the White House for the Houston Chronicle.
“Julie has written tough stories about two presidents, but she’s never grown cynical about covering the White House,” said Washington Examiner Editor Stephen G. Smith. “She’ll be a strong voice for reporters covering the presidency.”
The correspondents’ association was created in 1914, in reaction to a rumor that a congressional committee would be put in charge of choosing which reporters would attend President Woodrow Wilson’s press conferences. The rumor turned out to be bogus.
The association is perhaps best known for its annual dinner, the first of which took place in 1920. The event is traditionally attended by the president and vice president.
