Evan Osnos writes about the history of White House correspondents accompanying U.S. presidents to China, and how the current cropped fared last week:
“For White House reporters, venturing out of the comfort and security of the filing center is an act of heroism, attempted only in the rarest of circumstances,” press corps member Mike Allen, the chief political correspondent for Politico, said. Allen learned his lesson when he ventured to the Da Dong Roast Duck restaurant for dinner on his second night in town and returned without his computer bag, laptop, or passport. “Basically, the only things I need besides a pulse,” he said. Two taxis and much gesticulating later, he recovered the bag from under his chair at the restaurant.
For another humorous take on the plight of the White House correspondent in China, read Forbes correspondent Gady Epstein‘s satirical tweets as a #FakeWhiteHouseReporter, which include such gems as, “On 2 airport w prez. Don’t get why every1 complains abt traffic here. Had nothing but empty streets!” and “And btw, I don’t see how that Great Wall keeps out the Internet either.”
Meanwhile, China Beat looks at, “The Good, the Bad, and the Boring: Barack Obama’s China Trip in Review.”
