Fox News to Interview President Obama in Beijing Tonight

FOX News announced this morning that Senior White House Correspondent Major Garrett will interview President Barack Obama in Beijing Tuesday night, EST (Wednesday morning in Beijing).

This represents a significant shift in the White House's relationship with FOX News. The relationship has been testy for almost a month. In late October, Anita Dunn, White House communications director said, "FOX News often operates almost as either the research arm or the communications arm of the Republican party " Last Sept. 20, the president went on every Sunday news show - except Chris Wallace's show on FOX. And on Thursday, the Treasury Department tried to exclude FOX News from pool coverage of interviews with a key official. At the same time the White House made it plain that FOX should not expect to interview the President. However over the past week both parties have tried to resolve their differences. FOX News executive Michael Clemente met recently at the White House with Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, and senior Obama adviser David Axelrod granted an interview to Garrett last week. Most significantly, last Tuesday, Anita Dunn, on point in the battle against FOX, announced her resignation. Even Lou Dobbs has tried to horn in on this act. On Monday night he told Bill O'Reilly that his dismissal may have been linked to the network's attempt to generate a rapprochement with the Obama administration:

You know, I discern more of a difference between then, which was under the Bush administration whom I was criticizing, and now, when it is the Obama administration and an entirely different tone was taken....Well, I don't know whether that was the distinction that triggered any sort of response or difference in perspective on the part of CNN's management, but it is the only difference between the way I'm -- I was conducting myself under this administration and the previous administration.”

Garrett tweeted the details earlier this morning: "I will interview POTUS on camera Wed am here in Beijing. 4 other networks will too. 10 mins per. Many had asked. Can say now." The interview will be broadcast tonight at 9:20 EST.