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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

'Major' Contender for Helen Thomas' seat at White House

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FOX News is reportedly a “Major” contender in the battle for the front-row seat once occupied by Helen Thomas, the doyenne of the White House Press Corps.

Major Garrett of FOX News

The 89-year-old Thomas retired from Hearst Newspapers after making controversial comments about Israel. This marks the end of a storied career but the beginning of a battle to get the space with the most face-time with the White House Press Secretary. It’s prime real estate where location truly matters.

Major Garrett, the chief White House Correspondent for Fox News, is just one of the many who have a shot at getting their name on the vacant chair in the White House briefing room.

Read other stories about the battle for the seat at the White House by The Daily Beast, NewsBusters, and Mediaite.

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.