HELEN THOMAS has lost her seat in the front row at White House briefings and news conferences. When the remodeled briefing room opens for business this spring, Thomas will be demoted to the second row.
After 46 years covering the White House, Thomas, a newspaper columnist, is being forced to give way to younger media. A cable news channel — maybe Fox, maybe CNN — will get a a front-row seat.
This is not another case of White House pettiness about news coverage — well, not entirely. The seating chart was made out in part by Thomas’ colleagues in the White House press corps. Of course, members of that group could never be accused of being petty.
Still, it is strange that Thomas was moved. In the remodeled room, there will already be an additional seat on the front row. Thomas will be replaced, in effect, by two other journalists. It is not likely that those two, put together, will be able to match Thomas’ political savvy or her willingness to ask tough questions of presidents and their minions.
Her first day on the job was the day of John. F. Kennedy’s inauguration. She has covered — and occasionally annoyed — nine presidents and countless press secretaries and their flunkies. Presidents come and go and so do most White House journalists. Only Helen Thomas goes on forever.
If experience and seniority counted in the White House press corps, Thomas would be the one deciding who sits where and, like the 800-pound gorilla in the joke, she would sit wherever she pleased.
Thomas says she will accept the move. She doesn’t have much choice. Even a deluge of support from the general public would not be likely to make a difference. This administration is not known for caring what the public thinks.
Besides, Helen Thomas has been around a long time and knows how to take care of herself. If all else fails, she surely knows how to get her hands on a box of thumb tacks.
Her replacements on the front row would be wise to assume their new seats very carefully.