Fox News Eyes Helen Thomas's Front Row Seat: Reports

Could Fox News get Helen Thomas's coveted front-row seat in the White House briefing room?

It's possible now that Thomas, 89, has retired in the wake of her controversial and offensive comments about Israel.

"No decisions have been made on the open seat," incoming White House Correspondents Association president Jackson told Poynter. "We have elections for three seats that are open [an at-large organization, magazine and TV seat]. I will recommend that the new board decide the issue, but I don't know what my colleagues will want to do."

Jackson, who takes over on July 16, said that the WHCA will meet Thursday to discuss the Thomas seat.

Speculation centers around Fox News — the only TV network without a front-row seat — and Bloomberg — the only wire service without a front-row seat.

Greg Sargent reports that Fox News and Bloomberg were "locked in a behind-the-scenes 'death match'" over who would inherit Thomas's seat when she retired even before her controversial Israel comments. Both are currently seated in the second row, and "had previously made it known to the White House Correspondents Association that they coveted the seat upon Thomas's retirement," according to Sargent.

The Daily Beast's Richard Wolffe recalls that in 2007, CNN beat out Fox News for a spot in the front row based on its "prior place in the pecking order," but says that "Fox's patience in 2007 may now be rewarded with Thomas' coveted chair."

Still, though the network has been patient, the Daily News reports that Fox News has been gunning for a front row seat for years:

Sources within the White House Correspondents' Association, which oversees the seating chart, told the Daily News that Fox, the nation's largest cable news outlet, has argued for years it belongs in the front row, where CNN, ABC and MSNBC (represented by NBC) already reside with the Associated Press and Reuters.

Andrew Sullivan suggests giving the seat to a blogger instead of a traditional reporter:

I don't see why the front row should belong just to reporters. Their total submission to the news cycle and making news renders much of their questioning a big old kabuki show. Why not allow bloggers in the front row? We'd sure make the awful, smug, useless Gibbs less comfortable.

Comments

[hawaiirod]

08:45 AM on 07/28/2010

They also need to take the anti-semite Helen Thomas name plate off the chair. It is the James Brady room, so it is appropriate to give the center seat to FOX news, the only news outfit who shares Brady's political beliefs...

[hawaiirod]

08:39 AM on 07/28/2010

Fox news should get Helen Thomas's seat. They are after all the #1 news network in the nation. That way they would be bookended by 3 liberal outfits on the left, and 3 liberal outfits on the right. I know most of the liberal sycophants in here would like to have only liberals in the press room, but that would not be fair and balanced. Being #1, FOX should take there rightful place.in the White House press room...FRONT ROW CENTER!

[vtopa]

11:02 PM on 06/21/2010

The seat should go to National Public Radio!

http://www.petitiononline.com/nprfront/petition.html

[Jingo]

01:37 AM on 06/11/2010

A press room full of people chatting and laughing except one who's reading a newspaper. Hmmm which one is the journalist?

[farmilyman]

12:46 AM on 06/11/2010

“http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Fox_News

[karma6338]

10:22 PM on 06/10/2010

Eenie, meenie, minee, mo....., my all means Fox is a NO.

[ptgkc]

09:15 PM on 06/10/2010

Call me crazy, but I thought the idea of a press seat is it would go to a reporter with a NEWS organization.

Why would Fox even be considered?

[Earfling]

08:59 PM on 06/10/2010

No seat for FOX! Maddow, Olbermann, Code Pink, MediaMatters, MoveOn, even Huffpoo

should get the seat.

[Yikes11]

12:11 PM on 06/10/2010

Give it to The Daley Show or the Rachel Maddow Show. They are much more deserving than ANyone there.

[ruhaba]

10:05 AM on 06/10/2010

One stupid replaces another one ???

[Georgia Yankee]

09:24 AM on 06/10/2010

Pick the 10th American citizen in line for the White House tour that day and let him/her sit in that front row seat and ask a question.

[me again]

08:26 AM on 06/10/2010

Give it to ESPN......certainly sports are more relevant than FOX's reporting.

[hidenout]

08:38 PM on 06/10/2010

ESPN....and more important than anything Obama has had to say lately.

[SageSpencer]

02:35 AM on 06/10/2010

Seat should go to new media!

[craig asia]

02:00 AM on 06/10/2010

Fox deserves the chair all right. I say give them the chair!

[collettethehedgehog]

03:32 AM on 06/10/2010

I do hope you mean electric.

[craig asia]

06:02 AM on 06/10/2010

Of course. I would also accept hanging, firing squad or chemical injection, All suitable punishments for treason in a time of war.

[Knowitall]

01:00 AM on 06/10/2010

Look at that picture--the place is already cramped. Fox is already too close--in the second row. What will getting a front row seat get them but being one row closer to being not called on for being obnoxious and disrespectful. It gives them a sort of stature that they do not deserve. They ask the same "jacked up" questions all the time, and come off with such childish arrogance because they really don't want any answers.--they just want to get off the latest right wing spun question.