White House Correspondents Insider

Behind the scenes of one of the most powerful clubs in America.

Chen: Fox News' front-row seat a "travesty of a decision"

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Fox News Channel Chief White House Correspondent Major Garrett announced he’s joining National Journal as a Congressional Correspondent on September 3, just in time to avoid the new war over Fox News‘ front-row seat in the White House Briefing room.

Public Campaign, the Center for Media and Democracy, and Media Matters for America sent a letter Monday to the White House Correspondents Association in response to reports of News Corp.’s $1 million donation to the Republican Governors Association. In the letter they ask for the WHCA to “reconsider its decision to allow Fox News Channel a front-row seat in the White House briefing room” calling News Corp.’s donation “a massive ethical lapse that demonstrates Fox News’ inability to function as an objective media institution.”

Media Matters reports current WHCA President David Jackson of USA Today rejected the seating change request, stating: “The decision has been made.”

Jackson’s predecessor, Ed Chen who left Bloomberg News a few months ago and returned to the Natural Resources Defense Council, calls that decision “a travesty.”

Explaining further to Media Matters:
“The vacancy was created because of an ideological conflict,” he said, referring to [Helen] Thomas’ anti-Israel comments that led to her resignation. “To fill the vacancy with another cloud of ideological conflict was most unfortunate and inappropriate.”

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

AP Takes Thomas' Seat

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Ending weeks of speculation, the White House Correspondents Association announced the Associated Press will take the front row, center seat in the James S. Brady Briefing Room at the White House once occupied by Helen Thomas.

The association stated the change will take effect Monday and that it was a “very difficult decision.” Bloomberg, Fox News, and NPR all made public plays for the coveted chair, which did not go unnoticed by the WHCA board. The first few minutes of Monday’s briefing might look like a game of musical chairs since the AP won’t be the only ones with a new vantage point.

The board “was persuaded by Fox’s length of service and commitment to the White House television pool” and moved them to the front row seat previously occupied by AP; NPR will shuffle into the second row seat previously held by Fox, next to Bloomberg News.

Photo: Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images

The Helen Thomas Dark Horse Is…NPR!

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After a few jokes about who an “unexpected third party” could be, it’s almost unexpected that NPR would emerge as the dark horse for Helen Thomas’ coveted seat.

But that’s exactly what happened, according to The Upshot, when the news organization that recently dropped the “Radio” from its’ name submitted a formal letter to the White House Press Association.

NPR’s reasoning? Its audience size, scope of programming and the subtle burn that they’ve been in the White House Press Room since the 1970s compared to Bloomberg and Fox News. Once again, August 2nd will be a very exciting day.
Photo: Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images

Helen Thomas Countdown Begins

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If you like to bet on dark horses, consider August 2nd your derby come early.

Helen Thomas’ valuable front row spot in the White House Briefing Room will be determined by that Friday, according to a report from Fishbowl DC. This means the quiet battle between Fox News and Bloomberg will finally come to an end, likely with a whimper rather than explosive bang.

We already speculated about the shifts in seating, but at least we have something to look forward to when the rest of the Beltway runs away for the August recess.

Photo: Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images

One Chair To Rule Them All

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Reliable Sources brings word that Fox News’ spot in the White House press room is being challenged once again–this time by Bloomberg News’ Managing Editor, Al Hunt.

Bloomberg (via Hunt) claims–in shades of CNN’s previous reasoning–they’ve been around longer, are more established and “[w]e write about matters financial and non-financial.” Fox News’ Vice President of News and Washington Managing Editor Bill Sammon’s plan relies on a 2007 I.O.U. from the last press room restructuring and the assumption that Bloomberg still covers just finances. The Huffington Post has the full letters here.

There’s no buzz on whether this late Bloomberg bid will work, but at least we have a Fishbowl DC poll. And in case you forget the prime real estate in question, check out WHC Insider’s press room seating chart.

Greta Remains 10 o'clock's Incumbent for 2010

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Don’t know what to watch at 10 p.m. for the next two years? Well breathe easy, because Greta Van Susteren’s going to get you through it.

When not keeping up with a Kardashian (left, at the White House Correspondents’ Brunch,) Van Susteren’s has lead Fox News’ coveted 10 p.m. slot since 2002 with On The Record. The New York Times reports the host is keeping her spot for “several more years,” which quashes rumors of a Glenn Beck bump up.

Though Van Susteren may soon find a rival in Lawrence O’Donnell, who will host an as-yet-untitled 10 p.m. show for MSNBC and complete the Keith Olbermann Show Factory moving along. We can’t wait for D.C. to take sides in the Team Susteren/Team O’Donnell wars, if only because things are so boring now that Leno and Conan stopped fighting.

Fox News Bringing Ousted Miss USA Runner-Up Carrie Prejean to RTCA

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John Lennon: The New York City Years Exhibit Preview

Prejean to be Fox News Guest at RTCA Dinner

Sitting at one of Fox News’ nine tables at Friday’s RTCA and bringing a bit of non-D.C. buzz to the event will be Carrie Prejean, the Miss USA runner-up who was stripped of her title as Miss California after pageant officials accused her of violating her contract.

Prejean, who has been exchanging snipes with pageant officials about just what happened-she denies doing anything wrong and accuses pageant officials of behaving badly — was a brief part of the Fox News family recently, when she guest-hosted the 6-7 a.m. hour of “Fox & Friends.”

Among the other Fox News guests is Melody Barnes, the White House Domestic Policy Adviser.

A partial list of the Fox News talent who will be in attendance (joining a number of Fox News execs) includes Carl Cameron, Major Garrett, Martha MacCallum, Mike Emanuel, Shannon Bream, Jennifer Griffin, Peter Barnes, Kelly Wright, Juan Williams and Catherine Herridge.

Gingrich Attacks White House Correspondents

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A Preview of the 2012 Presidential Race?

Fox News analyst and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich trashed the White House press corps during a Friday appearance on Greta Van Sustern’s show, “On The Record.” Gingrich claimed the White House correspondents have “taken such a pathetic dive with this President that they ought to be part of his PR firm. I mean it’s embarrassing to watch.”

Republicans have often railed against a perceived left-wing bias among mainstream media reporters and it appears they’ll continue that refrain during the Obama administration, but will it be a major campaign theme for Republicans?

In the interview, conducted at Mount Vernon, Gingrich quipped: “If you didn’t know better, you’d think that he was practicing with his own public affairs people for the future press conferences. These look like practice sessions; they don’t look like real press conferences.”