Fox News gets front-row White House seat

The White House Correspondents Association is moving Fox News up to the front row in the briefing room, according to sources familiar with the process. The WHCA board's decision was unanimous. [It's now confirmed; see update below.]

Since the retirement of veteran journalist Helen Thomas, three news organizations — Fox News, Bloomberg News and NPR — each argued that it should move to the front row. Fox News will join the broadcast networks and CNN up front.

However, Fox News will not be taking Thomas' long-held seat in the center.

The Associated Press moves to the center under the new set-up, with Fox News taking the wire service's spot in the front row. (The Upshot reported last week on briefing room speculation that this is how the move would play out.)

The idea of moving AP — which normally gets the first question at presidential news conferences — was under discussion in recent years, long before Thomas retired.

[Photo flashback: Veteran journalist Helen Thomas through the years]

Bloomberg remains in the second row, while NPR moves up from the third row to Fox's current second-row seat.

Several news organizations also petitioned to get regular seats in the briefing room (or keep their current seats).

The Financial Times will now get a regular seat, while U.S News & World Report — a news organization that has been scaled back in recent years — lost its seat. The foreign press pool also now gets its own seat.

In addition, Politico and American Urban Radio Networks moved up to the third row. The Washington Times, which has cut back significantly in the past year, moves from the third to fourth row.

UPDATE: The WHCA, in a statement, confirmed the news and described the decision as "very difficult." However, the board said, it was "persuaded by Fox's length of service and commitment to the White House television pool."

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