President George W. Bush appointed Tony Snow, a conservative pundit from the administration-friendly Fox News channel, as his new press spokesman. The decision was perceived as an attempt to address strained relations with the media.

Mr Snow, 50, brings considerable media experience to the job. He is a well ­connected commentator who hosted his own radio show on Fox News Radio and was the original host for Fox News Sunday from 1996 to 2003. He has also worked as a print journalist and a columnist. The last time a career journalist transferred directly to the White House as spokesman was in 1974 when Ron Nessen, an NBC correspondent, joined Gerald Ford's administration.