Weijia Jiang becomes first woman of color elected president of White House Correspondents’ Association
June 30, 2023
Journalist Weijia Jiang was elected as the new president of the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA), making history as the first woman of color voted for the role.
WHCA president: After a total of 387 ballots were submitted, Jiang, a senior White House correspondent for CBS News, was announced as the winner of the at-large seat on the WHCA Board for 2023 to 2026, where she will serve as the association’s president from 2025 to 2026. Jiang beat out her opponent Francesca Chambers, from USA Today, after earning 251 votes.
Jiang will succeed NBC News’ Kelly O’Donnell (2023- 2024) and will be followed by Politico’s White House correspondent Eugene Daniels (2024-2025).
“Thank you, WHCA colleagues for your support and faith in me,” Jiang said in a tweet. “I know that it’s a tremendous responsibility, and I will treat it as such. As the first woman of color to take on this role, I will do my part to ensure that I’m not the last.”
About WHCA: The WHCA is an organization of journalists that ensures robust news coverage of the White House and the U.S. president. It was created by journalists on Feb. 25, 1914, to fight for openness and transparency in every operation of the presidency after President Woodrow Wilson threatened to stop holding presidential news conferences.
“Covering the White House is an honor and a privilege,” Jiang wrote on Instagram. “It is the assignment of a lifetime, but it comes with plenty of challenges. I want to channel my frustration over a growing lack of access and communication into something productive.”
About Jiang: Jiang, who was born in Xiamen, China, immigrated to West Virginia with her parents when she was 2 years old. At the age of 13, she found her passion for broadcasting when she became a student reporter and anchor for Channel One News in Los Angeles.
Jiang joined CBS News in 2015 and has covered the White House since 2018, including major stories from the Trump and Biden administrations. She previously made headlines when former President Trump told her to “keep your voice down” during a White House press conference in 2020.
In 2023, she won an Emmy award for her contributions to “CBS Mornings.” Jiang is also an active member of the Asian American Journalists Association.
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