Helen Thomas' Legacy of Truth

[G_j]

http://alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=18241

Helen Thomas' Legacy of Truth

By Geov Parrish, WorkingForChange.com
March 25, 2004

Interviewing Helen Thomas is sort of like preparing dinner for a world-renowned chef. It's just a tad intimidating. It's hard to get around the knowledge that I'm asking questions of someone internationally renowned for, well, asking questions. Good ones. Of powerful people.


Fortunately, she's also at no loss for opinions. Thomas is now a columnist for Hearst Newspapers, after a stunning 57 years working for UPI, 40 of them as the wire service's White House correspondent. She's grilled presidents from Kennedy to Dubya, and has set a host of firsts: the first woman officer of the National Press Club after it agreed to admit women as members; the first woman president of the White House Correspondents Association; the first woman member of the Gridiron Club, and later its first woman president; the first woman reporter, in 1961, to close a presidential news conference.


These days, as the reigning octogenarian queen of the D.C. press corps, she's free to speak her mind – and her take on White House journalism, and on the administration it now covers, is scathing.


"We've always been manipulated and managed, back to when I began with Kennedy and certainly before, but never to this extent ... The secrecy in this administration has reached the highest levels. That's never been seen before. Everybody has to be on board with this president. Nobody plays devil's advocate ... There is no search for answers in this President."

..more..

[randr]

1. The fact that * rudely dismissed Helen is

a reason each and every woman in this country should be up in arms.

[Submariner]

2. I bet President Kerry puts Helen back in the front row

of the WH press corps and lets her ask the 1st question as before. Anybody want to bet against me?

[Broadslidin]

9. Can You Imagine, Sen. Kerry Announcing Your Suggestion, Today!

Howdy Submariner,

I'd completely flip out, if he did...!

[Oddman]

3. Helen Thomas is a saint

One of the greatest correspondents of our time is now forced to sit in the back row of the White House press room and does not get called on anymore. I loath this administration. . .

[Muddleoftheroad]

6. There is a reason why she was moved

She went from wearing a standard reporter cap to becoming an advocate. In a similar circumstance, I doubt President Kerry will allow a conservative advocate to sit in the front row and skewer him.

But she is cool.

[G_j]

7. an advocate for the truth that is n/t

[Muddleoftheroad]

11. But not unbiased or even balanced

And that is a big difference from reporting.

[G_j]

13. so I suppose "wearing a standard reporter cap"

means lobbing softballs and pretending the emperor is wearing clothes?

[Muddleoftheroad]

14. Not at all

It does mean being both apolitical and balanced. She was for decades and now is a columnist and a fine one.

[Broadslidin]

4. Thank You G_j

For reminding us of a relentless Truth Seeker, Helen Thomas.

[G_j]

5. she is very cool

I've written her a few times and she always writes back.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

10. Same here, and I'm basically a nobody in the media world.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

8. I've always felt that Thomas left UPI because...

...UPI had been bought by the media arm of Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the owner of the Washington Times.

Here's a good site on the Moonies:

<http://www.rickross.com/groups/moonie.html>

[Kimber Scott]

12. Long live Helen Thomas

What will happen to us when she's gone?