Musical Press Chairs

The old saying “where you stand depends on where you sit” would seem to apply to the White House press corps, as there is a scramble going on to see who earns an upgrade now that Helen Thomas’s prime front row seat is vacant.

The seating arrangement is more than just a sign of your pecking order.  Reporters have a much better chance of being called on if they are in business class, rather than stuck in the economy section in the rear of the press room.

One of the nice things about covering the Pentagon is — unlike the White House — there is generally plenty of room in the briefing room.  And you are, in the words of Southwest Airlines, free to get up and move about the country.  There are no assigned seats, and for the most part Pentagon correspondents enjoy “festival seating” in the commodious briefing room, (Although I don’t think anyone would have the temerity to sit in Barbara Starr’s customary chair.)

Which reminds me of an incident from my Pentagon days that is illustrative of how seriously reporters take their seating assignments.

It was few years ago and as part of the Pentagon renovation, the briefing room was moved from one side of the building to the other.  And in the process of recreating the room, the renovation crew flipped the floor plan.

I always liked to sit on the last seat on the end in the first row, mainly so I could quietly slip in late, or slip out early, without making a scene.

So on the first day in the new briefing room I sat in my usual seat on the end, but now I was at the far end, away from the door, and right next to the camera crews who shot the “cutaways,” the shots of reporters asking their questions at the briefing.

At the next briefing I switched  and sat on the opposite side, causing confusion as the reporters all came in to take their usual seats.

“Why are you sitting over there?” several of my colleagues quizzed me.  I explained I liked the seat closer to the door.   “Plus,” I pointed out, “this is a much more flattering angle to be photographed by the ‘cuts’ camera crews”

Several of my fellow reporters scoffed, and chided me for my vanity implying I was a typical TV reporter over-concerned about being ready my close-up.

At the very next briefing a few days later, I took the same photogenically-friendly seat again, and lo and behold, most of my TV compatriots had switched sides, too.

Maybe they just liked being by the door.

Tags: Helen Thomas, Press Seating