Former White House Correspondents President Chen: Fox News Seating 'A Travesty'

[babylonsister]

Former White House Correspondents President Chen: Fox News Seating 'A Travesty'

August 24, 2010 3:08 pm ET by Joe Strupp


Allowing Fox News to move up to the first row in the White House briefing room was a "travesty of a decision," according to Ed Chen, the former White House Correspondents Association president who left that post just a few months ago.

Chen, who served as WHCA president for the 2009-2010 term ending in June, made the comments in reaction to Media Matters' call on Monday for a reversal in the decision in light of News Corp.'s $1 million donation to the Republican Governor's Association.

A former Bloomberg White House reporter now with the National Resources Defense Council, Chen said giving Fox the coveted former seat of Helen Thomas brought too much conflict to the seat.

"The vacancy was created because of an ideological conflict," he said, referring to Thomas' anti-Israel comments that led to her resignation. "To fill the vacancy with another cloud of ideological conflict was most unfortunate and inappropriate."

more...

http://mediamatters.org/strupp/201008240036

[movonne]

1. Well I think Rachael should interview him....it would be perfect...

[lynne]

2. The article language is very confusing. Makes it sound like Fox got Helen's seat -

- but they didn't, NPR got Helen's' front middle seat. Fox then moved to NPR's previous seat in the front row. It even says that later in the article but the highlighted text in the OP almost made me think that Fox got the seat.

[Uzybone]

3. Facts schmacts

The truth is very hard to find these days. Almost everyone with a mouth is spinning.