NPR vies for coveted seat in White House briefing room

Former White House Correspondent Helen Thomas's front-row seat in the press briefing room is up for grabs and NPR wants it. In a July 14 letter to the White House Correspondents Association board of directors, NPR Managing Editor David Sweeney makes his case: "Our audience size, national and international reach, presence at the daily briefings, regular service in the radio pool rotation and on White House travel . . . all testify to our place among the premier news organizations covering the White House." [Full text here.] Fox News and Bloomburg also are vying for the seat. NPR Correspondent Don Gonyea, a WHCA board member, recently told Poynter.org why the seat is so coveted by reporters covering the White House. "That seat is in the front row right under the press secretary's, and sometimes the president's, nose."