CHELSEA CLINTON SPARKS PEACOCK CATFIGHT

Chelsea_story

 Hiring news rookie CHELSEA CLINTON for NBC’s “Rock Center with Brian Williams” has created an ugly behind-the-scenes backlash, insiders say.

The former first daughter is the focus of “intense jealousy” among the show’s female cor­respondents, including news veterans Ann Curry, Natalie Morales, Kate Snow and Mer­edith Vieira, sources say.

While the women are honored to work alongside anchorman Williams, legendary “Nightline” host Ted Koppel, former CBS newsman Harry Smith and NBC Sports anchor Bob Costas, “the daggers are out for Chelsea,” an insider told The ENQUIRER.

“Chelsea has been hired as a ‘special correspon­dent’ with no TV news experience whatsoever, and there’s the feeling that she didn’t pay her dues.

“In contrast, the show’s other ‘special correspondent’ is Ted Koppel, who has decades of news experience!”

To add insult to injury, it’s Chelsea – not the experienced female reporters on “Rock Center” – who seems to be the center of attention, added the source.

“Top network brass are giving Chelsea star treat­ment,” the insider divulged. “One woman groused, ‘If her last name wasn’t Clinton, she’d be Chelsea who? There are college interns here who have more TV experience than she does, but they’ll have to go out to a place like Cleveland for years before they’d even be considered for a network job in New York.’

“And another woman added, ‘When her mother Hillary was running for president in 2008, Chelsea refused to give inter­views to the media, and now she suddenly wants to be one of us!’

“There’s the feeling that Chelsea is simply using the job to ‘brand’ herself for the future – whether she follows her par­ents into politics or something else.”

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