Tom Brokaw: White House Correspondents’ Dinner is over the top

Tom Brokaw set off a media firestorm by saying it’s “time to rethink” the “glittering,” celeb-studded White House Correspondents’ Dinner, but his criticism is being seconded by the likes of Fox News’ Greta Van Susteren, who replied, “I am game.”

A charter member of the association, Brokaw said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday that the annual dinner showcases just how out of touch the national media is with the public.

“Look, I think George Clooney is a great guy. I’d like to meet Charlize Theron,” he said. “But I don’t think the big press event in Washington should be that kind of glittering event where the whole talk is about Cristal champagne, taking over the Italian Embassy, who had the best party, who got to meet the most people. That’s another separation between what we’re supposed to be doing and what the people expect us to be doing, and I think that the Washington press corps has to look at that.”

This is a charity event, isn’t it?