Interesting little factoid...the WH briefing room seats are allocated for beat writers daily columnists etc...WH correspondents for the various TV networks. By the second term of Billy Jeff she was none of the above...so they changed the rules to allow her to have the first seat in the first row. The press corps take care of their own and rules be dammed.
I don't have a problem with the press corps making an honorary position for Helen Thomas despite my dislike of the woman. After all she had been there since the Lincoln administration. If you recall, she was shoved out of the front row for going after the Obama white house on their treatment of the press.
I met former FOX white house corespondent Wendel Goler a few years ago when he was home for Thanksgiving. He started the job in the Clinton administration and retired in 2014. He said that the Bush white house was very open with the press despite the adversarial nature of the relationship.