“We are so proud of Jake, whose pace-setting and world-class reporting informs and illuminates our national dialogue – virtually every minute of every day,” said ABC News President Ben Sherwood.

Last year, Tapper received the Merriman Smith Award for his reporting that broke the story of former Senator Tom Daschle’s tax problems, which ultimately derailed his nomination to be President Obama’s Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Tapper will be honored at next Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Association annual dinner.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

The group will meet this week in D.C. to select the 2009-2010 class of White House Fellows.

“These leaders are diverse, non-partisan, and committed to mentoring our next generation of public servants,” said Pres. Obama in the release.

Others on the commission include former ABC/NBC anchor John Hockenberry, Gen. Wesley Clark and former Sen. Tom Daschle.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

We said, “Was it an embarrassing day, Mr. President, for this administration?” And he said yes, this is an embarrassment. And he takes responsibility for it. He’s the one who, in his inaugural speech, talked about an era of responsibility, saying there can’t be two sets of rules for the people in Washington and for the people back home who pay their taxes. Nonetheless, it is an embarrassment for the administration.

Gibson’s interview with the President…and Williams’ and Couric’s and Wallace’s and Cooper’s can be seen tonight on their respective networks.

> More, from Brian Williams’ interview:

Williams: You lost two nominees, two appointments today. Did that make you angry, I imagine?

Obama: Oh it made me angry and disappointed and it’s something I have to take responsibility for.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

ABC’s Charlie Gibson, CBS’ Katie Couric, NBC’s Brian Williams, CNN’s Anderson Cooper and FOX News Sunday’s Chris Wallace will go in one-by-one to talk to President Barack Obama as part of a media push by the President regarding his stimulus plan.

“I’ve never been in something like this,” Wallace tells TVNewser today. “I assume it’ll be like baseball. When there’s about five minutes left, the next person starts warming up.”

Wallace starts warming up around 4:25pmET, and interviews the President last. “We were delighted and think the President and the White House staff are doing the right thing including FOX in the rotation,” he says. As for going last: “I’ll try to get extra time.”

Wallace’s interview will be turned around quickly and air in full on Special Report with Bret Baier at 6pmET. His last interview with the President came after 772 days of “Obama Watch” on FOX News Sunday (pictured).

“We certainly have kept track, and he’s done a lot of interviews since his last one on FOX News Sunday and since the election without coming on FOX. Al Arabiya got one before we did,” says Wallace. “But today, I have no complaints.”

As for what will be asked, there’s no shortage of news today, with Tom Daschle‘s nomination withdrawal breaking this afternoon. “It’s a good day to be interviewing the President,” he says.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

We stationed ourselves near the CNN BPTOT stage, where Anderson Cooper and John King watched the speech intently, while the rest of the panel seemed a bit less interested. See the video of the scene from the floor, and after the jump, more videos (including our run-in with Dennis Kucinich, what the convention floor looks like at 9:15amET and more):



Click continued for more videos of the day…

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.