You seem like a decent fellow, but you're also an anon SPA; I don't owe you an explanation other than what's already on talk. Please let editors who are doing actual work do their work. Thanks. |
Ser Amantio di Nicolao (talk | contribs) m Copying from Category:21st-century American women journalists to Category:21st-century American journalists using Cat-a-lot |
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{{Short description|American journalist (1920–2013)}} |
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{{For|people with a similar name|Helen Thomas (disambiguation)}} |
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| image = [[File:Helen Thomas 2009.jpg|256px]] |
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{{Use American English|date=June 2021}} |
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| caption = Helen Thomas in February 2009 |
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{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2020}} |
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| birthname = Helen Thomas |
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{{Infobox person |
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| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1920|08|04}} |
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|image = Helen_Thomas.jpg |
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| birth_place = [[Winchester, Kentucky]], USA |
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|caption = Thomas in 2000 |
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| death_date = |
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|birth_name = Helen Amelia Thomas |
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| death_place = |
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|birth_date = {{Birth date|1920|08|04}} |
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| alma_mater = [[Wayne State University|Wayne University]]<small>(B.A., 1942)</small> |
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|birth_place = [[Winchester, Kentucky]], U.S. |
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| occupation = Author, retired journalist and columnist |
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|death_date = {{Death date and age|2013|07|20|1920|08|04}} |
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| spouse = Douglas B. Cornell (1971–82) |
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|death_place = [[Washington, D.C.]], U.S. |
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| relatives = |
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|death_cause = |
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|nationality =American |
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|nationality = American |
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|ethnicity =Lebanese Arab |
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|alma_mater = [[Wayne State University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]]) |
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| religion = [[Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America|Greek Orthodox]] |
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|occupation = {{flatlist| |
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| years_active=1943–2010 |
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*Author |
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| credits = |
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*journalist |
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| URL = http://www.helenthomas.org/ |
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*columnist}} |
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|years_active = 1943–2013 |
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|spouse = {{marriage|Douglas B. Cornell|1971|1982|end=his death}} |
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|restingplace = |
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|known for = Pioneering female reporter;<br />first female member of<br />the White House press corps |
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}} |
}} |
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'''Helen Thomas''' (born August 4, 1920) is an American author and a former [[news service]] reporter, member of the [[White House Press Corps]], and [[Hearst Corporation|Hearst Newspapers]] [[columnist]].<ref name="quit"/> She worked for the [[United Press International]] (UPI) for 57 years, first as a [[correspondent]], and later as [[White House]] bureau chief. Thomas, one of the most notable Arab-Americans of her time,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=E103mxJ2820C&pg=PA44&dq=%22Helen+Thomas%22+arab&hl=en&ei=np0dTMy7MsH78AbD3-HGDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CEwQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=%22Helen%20Thomas%22%20&f=false |title=Arab Americans – Google Books |publisher=Books.google.com |date= |accessdate=June 21, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=w2rc0RI7EqYC&pg=PA157&dq=%22Helen+Thomas%22+arab&hl=en&ei=np0dTMy7MsH78AbD3-HGDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CD0Q6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=%22Helen%20Thomas%22%20&f=false |title=The Arab Americans – Google Books |publisher=Books.google.com |date= |accessdate=June 21, 2010}}</ref> covered every [[President of the United States]] from the last years of the [[Dwight D. Eisenhower|Eisenhower]] [[Presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower|administration]] until the second year of the [[Barack Obama|Obama]] [[Presidency of Barack Obama|administration]]. |
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'''Helen Amelia Thomas''' (August 4, 1920 – July 20, 2013)<ref name=cnnfacts/> was an American reporter and author, and a long serving member of the [[White House press corps]]. She covered the White House during the administrations of ten [[U.S. president]]s—from the beginning of the [[Kennedy administration]] to the second year of the [[Obama administration]]. |
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She was the first female officer of the [[National Press Club (USA)|National Press Club]], the first female member and president of the [[White House Correspondents' Association]], and the first female member of the [[Gridiron Club]]. She has written five books; her latest, with co-author [[Craig Crawford]], is ''Listen Up, Mr. President: Everything You Always Wanted Your President to Know and Do'' (2009). |
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Thomas worked for the [[United Press]] and post-1958 successor [[United Press International]] (UPI) for 57 years, first as a correspondent, and later as [[White House]] bureau manager. She then served as a columnist for [[Hearst Newspapers]] from 2000 to 2010, writing on national affairs and the White House. Thomas was the first female officer of the [[National Press Club (USA)|National Press Club]], the first female member and president of the [[White House Correspondents' Association]] and the first female member of the [[Gridiron Club]]. She wrote six books; her last (with co-author [[Craig Crawford]]) was ''Listen Up, Mr. President: Everything You Always Wanted Your President to Know and Do'' (2009). |
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Thomas retired on June 7, 2010, following negative reactions to comments she made that Israel should "get the hell out of Palestine", and Jews should go back to "Poland. Germany.... and America and everywhere else."<ref name="quit">{{cite news|url=http://www.jta.org/news/article/2010/06/07/2739488/helen-thomas-quits|title=Helen Thomas quits|author=JTA staff|location=Washington DC|date=June 7, 2010|publisher=[[Jewish Telegraphic Agency]]|accessdate=June 11, 2010}}</ref><ref name="foxnews2"/><ref name="li press 06-16-10">{{cite web|url=http://www.longislandpress.com/2010/06/16/l-i-rabbi-faces-blowback-for-helen-thomas-expose/ |title=L.I. Rabbi Faces Blowback for Helen Thomas Expose|author=Timothy Bolger|publisher=Long Island Press |date=June 16, 2010 |accessdate=June 17, 2010}}</ref><ref name="hillretirement">{{cite news |title=Helen Thomas quits after Israel remarks|author=Sam Youngman |author2=Emily Goodin |newspaper=The Hill |date=June 7, 2010 |url=http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/101731-helen-thomas-announces-retirement|archivedate=June 11, 2010|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5qPIVDRlZ}}</ref><ref name="rabbilive">{{cite video|url=http://www.rabbilive.com/RabbiLIVE/Helen.html| people =, Rabbi David Nesenoff; Helen Thomas| title =Helen Thomas, Complete Version, (2 minutes)| medium = video | publisher =RabbiLive.com | location =Washington D.C. | date =posted June 7, 2010, recorded May 27, 2010|accessdate=June 17, 2010 }}</ref><ref name="bbcretirement">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/us_and_canada/10259646.stm|title=US reporter Helen Thomas quits over Israel comments|author=BBC News staff|date=June 7, 2010|work=[[BBC News]]|accessdate=June 7, 2010}}</ref> |
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Thomas retired from Hearst Newspapers on June 7, 2010, following controversial remarks she made about [[Israel]] in an impromptu, unstructured amateur short interview when solicited for "any comments on [[Israel]]," she replied, "tell them to get the hell out of [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]],"<ref>{{Cite web|last=Horn|first=Heather|date=2010-06-07|title=Helen Thomas Retires After Telling Israelis to 'Go Home'|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2010/06/helen-thomas-retires-after-telling-israelis-to-go-home/345315/|access-date=2021-07-03|website=The Atlantic|language=en}}</ref> leading to accusations of [[antisemitism]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Reporter Retires After Words About Israel|author=Jeremy W. Peters|newspaper=The New York Times|date=June 7, 2010|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/08/business/media/08thomas.html|access-date=March 5, 2011 }}</ref> She then served as an opinion columnist for the ''[[Falls Church News-Press]]'' until February 2012.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://fcnp.com/2013/07/22/editor-calls-for-media-correction-helen-thomas-retired-in-2012-not-2010/ |title = Editor Calls for Media Correction: Helen Thomas Retired in 2012, Not 2010|date = July 22, 2013}}</ref> |
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== Early life== |
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Thomas' parents, George and Mary ([[née]] Rowady) Thomas, immigrated to the U.S. from [[Tripoli, Lebanon|Tripoli]], located in northern Lebanon.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/tv/elders/transcripts/s2721488.htm |title=Elders with Andrew Denton – episode 4: Helen Thomas |publisher=Abc.net.au |date=July 7, 2008 |accessdate=June 17, 2010}}</ref><ref name="Front Row Ch 1"/><ref>''Contemporary Heroes and Heroines''. Vol. 3. Gale Research, 1998; ''Encyclopedia of World Biography'' Supplement, Vol. 19. Gale Group, 1999; ''Current Biography'', H.W. Wilson Co., 1993.</ref><ref name=dateline75>{{cite book|author=Helen Thomas|title=Dateline: White House|publisher=Macmillan|date=1975|location=|pages=|url=|isbn=0026176203}}</ref> Her parents could neither read nor write,<ref name="autogenerated1"/> and her father's surname, which was "Antonious", was [[Anglicisation|anglicized]] to "Thomas" at [[Ellis Island]].<ref name="Front Row Ch 1">{{cite book|author=Helen Thomas|date=May 3, 2000|url=http://www.northshire.com/siteinfo/bookinfo.php?isbn=9780684868097&item=0|title=Front Row At The White House: My Life And Times (link to Ch. 1)|publisher=Simon & Shuster|work=Chapter 1, Beginnings|accessdate=June 11, 2010}}</ref> She was born in [[Winchester, Kentucky|Winchester]], [[Kentucky]],<ref name="NPR2000">{{cite web |title=Helen Thomas, Consumer Advocate| work=National Press Club speech |publisher=[[NPR]] |date=July 13, 2000 |url=http://www.npr.org/programs/npc/2000/000713.hthomas.html|accessdate=June 11, 2010}}</ref> the seventh of nine children but was largely reared in [[Detroit|Detroit, Michigan]], where her family moved when she was four years old, and where her father ran a grocery store.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.winchestersun.com/stories/2010/06/07/loc.931294.sto |title=Famed Winchester native, Helen Thomas, retires amid controversy |publisher=WinchesterSun.com|author=From staff and wire reports |date=June 7, 2010|accessdate=June 20, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Encyclopedia Britannica staff|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/592820/Helen-Thomas |title=Helen Thomas (American journalist)|publisher=Britannica Online Encyclopedia|date= |accessdate=June 20, 2010}}</ref><ref name="google1"/> |
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==Early life and education== |
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Thomas said "I was very lucky to be born in America.... [My family was] never hyphenated as Arab-Americans. We were American, and I have always rejected the hyphen and I believe all assimilated immigrants should not be designated ethnically."<ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=h4qpzo7yNxEC&pg=PA238&dq=tripoli+%22helen+thomas%22&hl=en&ei=114aTIjbBpzwMvX8qasF&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCsQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=tripoli%20%22helen%20thomas%22&f=false|title=My America: what my country means to me by 150 Americans from all walks of life|author=Hugh Downs|publisher=Simon & Shuster|}}</ref> Of growing up in Detroit in the 1920s, she said, "They wanted to make you feel you weren't 'American'... We were called 'garlic eaters'".<ref name="google1">{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=FuhpfUECtRcC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false |title=The Arab Americans: a history|author=Gregory Orfalea|publisher=Interlink Pub Group Inc|date=November 2005 |accessdate=June 20, 2010|page=|isbn=1566565979}}</ref> She was called "foreigner" in Detroit schools, leading to her coming home in tears.<ref name="google1"/> |
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Born in [[Winchester, Kentucky]], Thomas was the seventh of the nine children of George and Mary (Rowady) Thomas, immigrants from [[Tripoli, Lebanon]] (then part of the [[Ottoman Empire]]).<ref name="autogenerated1"/><ref name="Front Row Ch 1">{{Cite book|author=Helen Thomas|date=May 3, 2000|url=http://www.northshire.com/siteinfo/bookinfo.php?isbn=9780684868097&item=0|title=Front Row At The White House: My Life And Times (link to Ch. 1)|publisher=Simon & Schuster|work=Chapter 1, Beginnings|access-date=June 11, 2010|quote=I was born in Winchester on August 4, 1920, the seventh of nine surviving children -- Katharine, Anne, Matry, Sabe, Isabelle, Josephine, myself, Barbara and Genevieve. My older brother Tommy was killed when he was twelve in a terrible accident when... A wall... collapsed on the roof of the theater during a blizzard, killing 115 people inside.|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714195608/http://www.northshire.com/siteinfo/bookinfo.php?isbn=9780684868097&item=0|archive-date=July 14, 2011}}</ref><ref name=dateline75>{{Cite book|author=Helen Thomas|title=Dateline: White House|publisher=Macmillan|year=1975|url=https://archive.org/details/datelinewhitehou00thom|isbn=0-02-617620-3}}</ref> Thomas said her father's surname, "Antonious", was [[Anglicisation|anglicized]] to "Thomas" when he entered the U.S. at [[Ellis Island]],<ref name="Front Row Ch 1"/> and that her parents could neither read nor write.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/tv/elders/transcripts/s2721488.htm |title=Elders with Andrew Denton – episode 4: Helen Thomas |publisher=Abc.net.au |date=July 7, 2008 |access-date=June 17, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100621135612/http://www.abc.net.au/tv/elders/transcripts/s2721488.htm |archive-date=June 21, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Thomas was raised mainly in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]], where her family moved when she was four years old, and where her father ran a grocery store.<ref name="Front Row Ch 1"/><ref name="google1"/> Of her experience growing up, Thomas said: |
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{{blockquote|text=We were never hyphenated as Arab-Americans. We were American, and I have always rejected the hyphen and I believe all assimilated immigrants should not be designated ethnically. Or separated, of course, by race, or creed either. These are trends that ever try to divide us as a people.<ref name="my America">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h4qpzo7yNxEC&q=tripoli%20%22helen%20thomas%22&pg=PA238|title=My America: what my country means to me by 150 Americans from all walks of life|author=Hugh Downs|page=238|publisher=Simon & Schuster|isbn=978-0-7432-3369-9|date=September 3, 2002|access-date=March 14, 2011}}</ref>}} |
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She also said that in Detroit in the 1920s, she came home crying from school, "They wanted to make you feel you weren't 'American'... We were called 'garlic eaters' ".<ref name="google1">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FuhpfUECtRcC |title=The Arab Americans: a history|author=Gregory Orfalea|publisher=Interlink Pub Group Inc|date = November 2005|access-date=June 20, 2010|isbn=1-56656-597-9}}</ref> She was a member of the [[Antiochian Orthodox Church]].<ref name="Front Row Ch 1"/> |
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She was raised as a Christian in the [[Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America|Greek Orthodox Church]]<ref name="Front Row Ch 1"/> (Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America). |
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Thomas attended |
Thomas attended Detroit Public Schools, and decided to become a journalist while attending Eastern High School.<ref name="britannica">{{cite web|author=Encyclopædia Britannica staff|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/592820/Helen-Thomas |title=Helen Thomas (American journalist)|publisher=Britannica Online Encyclopedia|access-date=June 20, 2010}}</ref> She enrolled at [[Wayne State University|Wayne University]] in Detroit, receiving a [[bachelor's degree]] in English in 1942,<ref name="quits UPI">{{cite news |title=Helen Thomas Quits UPI|author=CBS News and AP|agency=The Associated Press|publisher=CBS News |date=May 16, 2000 |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2000/05/16/national/main196040.shtml|access-date=March 13, 2011}}</ref> as the school did not yet offer a degree in journalism.<ref name=mlive>{{cite web|url=http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2010/06/profile_newswoman_helen_thomas.html |title=Profile: Newswoman Helen Thomas |date=June 7, 2010 |publisher=MLive.com |access-date=July 21, 2013}}</ref> |
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==Early career== |
==Early career== |
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Her first job in [[journalism]] was as a [[copyboy|copygirl]] for the now-defunct ''[[The Washington Daily News|Washington Daily News]]'' |
Thomas moved to [[Washington, D.C.]] Her first job in [[journalism]] was as a [[copyboy|copygirl]] for the now-defunct ''[[The Washington Daily News|Washington Daily News]]''. After eight months at the paper, she joined with her colleagues in a [[strike action]] and was fired.<ref name=mlive/> |
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Thomas joined [[United Press International]] in 1943 and reported on women's topics for its radio [[wire service]], earning $24 (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|24|1943|r=0}}}} in current dollar terms) a week.<ref name=bbcnews>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/751363.stm|title=Veteran journalist quits White House|author=BBC staff|date=May 16, 2000|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=June 7, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=w2rc0RI7EqYC&pg=PA157&dq=%22Helen+Thomas%22+%22winchester%22+1920&hl=en&ei=pZkdTJ_5GMGqlAehxJTrDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=11&ved=0CFoQ6AEwCg#v=onepage&q=%22Helen%20Thomas%22%20%22winchester%22%201920&f=false |title=The Arab Americans – Google Books |publisher=Books.google.com |date= |accessdate=June 20, 2010}}</ref> Later in the decade, and in the early fifties, she wrote UPI's "Names in the News" column, for which she interviewed numerous Washington celebrities.<ref>Thomas, Helen. ''Dateline: White House''. Macmillan, 1975, page xiii.</ref> After 1955, she covered federal agencies such as the [[United States Department of Justice|Department of Justice]], [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] and the [[Department of Health, Education, and Welfare]]. |
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Thomas joined [[United Press]] in 1943 and reported on women's topics for its radio [[wire service]].<ref name=bbcnews>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/751363.stm|title=Veteran journalist quits White House|author=BBC staff|date=May 16, 2000|work=BBC News|access-date=June 7, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w2rc0RI7EqYC&q=%22Helen+Thomas%22+%22winchester%22+1920&pg=PA157 |title=The Arab Americans|author=Kayyali|date=December 2005|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |access-date=August 6, 2010|page=157|isbn=978-0-313-33219-7}}</ref> Her first assignments focused her on societal issues, women's news and celebrity profiles.<ref name=middletown/> Later in the decade, and in the early fifties, she wrote UP's ''Names in the News'' column, for which she interviewed numerous Washington celebrities.<ref>Thomas, Helen. ''Dateline: White House''. Macmillan, 1975, page xiii.</ref> In 1955, she was assigned to cover the [[United States Department of Justice]]. She later was assigned to cover other agencies, including the [[United States Department of Health]], as well as [[Capitol Hill]].<ref name=cnnfacts>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/29/us/helen-thomas-fast-facts |title=Helen Thomas Fast Facts |publisher=CNN.com |access-date=July 21, 2013}}</ref> |
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Thomas served as president of the [[National Press Club (USA)|Women's National Press Club]] from 1959–60. In 1959, Thomas and a few of her fellow female journalists forced the [[National Press Club]], then barred to women, to allow them to attend an address by Soviet leader [[Nikita Khrushchev]]. |
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Thomas served as president of the [[National Press Club (USA)|Women's National Press Club]] from 1959 through 1960.<ref name=cnnfacts/> In 1959, she and a few of her fellow female journalists forced the [[National Press Club (USA)|National Press Club]], then barred to women, to allow them to attend an address by Soviet leader [[Nikita Khrushchev]].<ref name=middletown>{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |url=http://www.middletownpress.com/articles/2013/07/21/news/doc51eaa26f0fc96098227756.txt?viewmode=fullstory |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130721145409/http://www.middletownpress.com/articles/2013/07/21/news/doc51eaa26f0fc96098227756.txt?viewmode=fullstory |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 21, 2013 |title=Helen Thomas, iconic White House correspondent, dies at 92 - The Middletown Press : Serving Middletown, CT |publisher=The Middletown Press |date=July 21, 2013 |access-date=July 21, 2013 }}</ref> |
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== Presidential correspondent == |
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[[Image:Gerald Ford and Helen Thomas - USNWR.jpg|thumb|left|Thomas and President [[Gerald Ford]], 1976 ([[Dick Cheney]] on the far left)]] |
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In November 1960, Thomas began covering then [[President-elect]] [[John F. Kennedy]], following him to the White House in January 1961 as a UPI correspondent. Thomas became known as the "Sitting Buddha." It was during Kennedy's administration that she ended all presidential [[News conference|press conferences]] with a signature "Thank you, Mr. President",<ref name="honor">{{cite news |title=Helen Thomas honored |newspaper=The Pittsburgh Press |date=June 24, 1985 |accessdate=June 12, 2010|author=Pittsburgh Press staff |page=A2 |url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=U4McAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UWIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5835,5656080&dq=helen-thomas+thank-you-mr-president&hl=en }}</ref> a tradition started by UPI’s [[Merriman Smith]] during the presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.<ref>{{cite web|title=Helen Thomas Moving Back After 46 Years Down Front |publisher=[[Politico (newspaper)|Politico]] |date=February 20, 2007 |author=Mike Allen |url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0207/2847.html|accessdate=June 12, 2010}}</ref> |
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==Presidential correspondent== |
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Throughout her career as a correspondent, Thomas earned a reputation for being relentless and demanding.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/The-Vote/2008/0816/helen-thomas-featured-on-hbo-special|title=Helen Thomas featured on HBO special|author=Jimmy Orr|publisher='[[Christian Science Monitor]]|date=August 16, 2008|accessdate=June 11, 2010}}</ref> In an interview with [[Fidel Castro]], ''USA Today'' founder [[Al Neuharth]] asked the Cuban leader what the difference was between democracy in [[Cuba]] and democracy in the United States. Castro replied, "I don't have to answer questions from Helen Thomas."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pbs.org/now/transcript/transcript303_full.html|title=NOW with Bill Moyers|format=Transcript|publisher=PBS|date=January 16, 2004|accessdate=June 11, 2010}}</ref> |
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[[File:President Johnson Oval Office 003.jpg|thumb|Thomas with President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] in the [[Oval Office]], June 21, 1966.]] |
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In November 1960, Thomas began covering then [[President-elect of the United States|President-elect]] [[John F. Kennedy]], taking the initiative to switch from reporting the "women's angle" to reporting the news of the day.<ref name="NPR2000">{{cite web|title=Helen Thomas, Consumer Advocate|author=NPR staff|publisher=[[NPR]] |date=July 13, 2000 |url=https://www.npr.org/programs/npc/2000/000713.hthomas.html|access-date=June 11, 2010}}</ref> She became a White House correspondent for UPI in January 1961. Thomas became known as the "Sitting Buddha," and the "First Lady of the Press."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://realpresidentdonaldtrump.com/helen-thomas-message-americans-era-trump |title=A Helen Thomas Message to Americans in the Era of Trump |format=Transcript|publisher=realpresidentdonaldtrump|date=March 13, 2019|access-date=March 13, 2019}}</ref> It was during Kennedy's administration that she began ending presidential [[News conference|press conferences]] with a signature "Thank you, Mr. President,"<ref name="honor">{{cite news |title=Helen Thomas honored |newspaper=The Pittsburgh Press |date=June 24, 1985 |access-date=June 12, 2010|author=Pittsburgh Press staff |page=A2 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=U4McAAAAIBAJ&pg=5835,5656080&dq=helen-thomas+thank-you-mr-president&hl=en }}</ref> reviving a tradition started by UPI's [[Albert Merriman Smith]] during the presidency of Franklin Roosevelt.<ref>{{cite web|title=Helen Thomas Moving Back After 46 Years Down Front |publisher=[[Politico (newspaper)|Politico]] |date=February 20, 2007 |author=Mike Allen |url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0207/2847.html|access-date=June 12, 2010}}</ref> |
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[[File:Gerald Ford and Helen Thomas - USNWR.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Thomas with President [[Gerald R. Ford|Ford]] and<br />chief of staff [[Dick Cheney]] (left) in 1976]] |
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Thomas was the only female print journalist to travel to China with President [[Richard Nixon]] during his [[1972 Nixon visit to China|historic trip]] in 1972.<ref>{{cite news |title=Nixon's China Trip Journalists Chosen |publisher=The Pittsburgh Press|agency=UPI|author=UPI staff |date=February 8, 1972|page=8 |url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZvcbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=qFMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5872,2624976&dq=helen-thomas+nixon+china&hl=en|accessdate=June 11, 2010 }}</ref> ([[Barbara Walters]] was a member of the NBC News team that went to the People's Republic of China to cover the visits of President Richard Nixon in 1972.) She traveled around the world several times with all US Presidents since Richard Nixon, and covered every [[Group of Six|Economic Summit]] since [[1st G6 summit|1975]], working up to the position of UPI's White House Bureau Chief, a post she would hold for over 25 years. While serving as White House Bureau Chief, she authored a regular column for UPI, "Backstairs at the White House",<ref>{{cite news |title=Backstairs At The White House |author=Helen Thomas |agency=UPI|date=March 11, 1980 |newspaper=Nashua Telegraph (New Hampshire) |page=7 |url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=t58rAAAAIBAJ&sjid=PPwFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6171,1845216&dq=backstairs-at-the-white-house+helen-thomas&hl=en|accessdate=June 11, 2010 }}</ref> a column begun by Merriman Smith.<ref>{{cite news |title=Backstairs At The White House |author=Merriman Smith|agency=United Press|newspaper=The Times-News (Hendersonville, NC)|date=February 17, 1954 |page=2 |url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TAMaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gSMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5290,1927066&dq=backstairs-at-the-white-house+thomas&hl=en|accessdate=June 11, 2010 }}</ref> The column provided an insider's view of various presidential administrations. |
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In a 2008 article, ''[[The Christian Science Monitor]]'' wrote: "Thomas, a fixture in American politics, is outspoken, blunt, demanding, forceful and unrelenting. Not only does she command respect by the highest powers in the US, her reputation is known worldwide."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/The-Vote/2008/0816/helen-thomas-featured-on-hbo-special|title=Helen Thomas featured on HBO special|author=Jimmy Orr|website=[[The Christian Science Monitor]]|date=August 16, 2008|access-date=June 11, 2010}}</ref> When Cuban leader [[Fidel Castro]] was asked in the early 2000s what was the difference between democracy in [[Cuba]] and democracy in the United States, Castro reportedly replied, "I don't have to answer questions from Helen Thomas." Thomas considered Castro's reply to be "the height of flattery."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/now/transcript/transcript303_full.html|title=NOW with Bill Moyers|format=Transcript|publisher=PBS|date=January 16, 2004|access-date=June 11, 2010}}</ref> |
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In 1962, Thomas convinced President Kennedy not to attend the annual dinners held for the White House correspondents and photographers if they disallowed women from attending. President Kennedy moved for the dinners to be combined into one event, with women allowed to attend. In 1970, UPI named Thomas their chief White House correspondent, making her the first woman to serve in the position. She was named the chief of UPI's White House bureau in 1974.<ref name=cnnfacts/> |
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Thomas was the only member of the White House Press Corps to have her own seat in the [[James S. Brady Press Briefing Room|White House Briefing Room]]. All other seats are assigned to media outlets. |
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Thomas was the only female print journalist to accompany President [[Richard Nixon]] during his [[1972 Nixon visit to China|1972 visit to China]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Nixon's China Trip Journalists Chosen |newspaper=The Pittsburgh Press|agency=UPI|author=UPI staff |date=February 8, 1972|page=8 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZvcbAAAAIBAJ&pg=5872,2624976&dq=helen-thomas+nixon+china&hl=en|access-date=June 11, 2010 }}</ref> During the [[Watergate scandal]], [[Martha Mitchell]], wife of [[United States Attorney General]] [[John N. Mitchell]], frequently called Thomas to discuss how the Nixon administration was using Mitchell as a scapegoat.<ref name=middletown/> |
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Thomas circled the globe several times, traveling with every U.S. president from Richard Nixon through [[Barack Obama]]. She covered every [[Group of Six|Economic Summit]] since [[1st G6 summit|1975]], working up to the position of UPI's White House Bureau Chief, a post she would hold for over 25 years. While serving as White House Bureau Chief, she authored a regular column for UPI, "Backstairs at the White House."<ref>{{cite news |title=Backstairs At The White House |author=Helen Thomas |agency=UPI|date=March 11, 1980 |newspaper=Nashua Telegraph (New Hampshire) |page=7 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=t58rAAAAIBAJ&pg=6171,1845216&dq=backstairs-at-the-white-house+helen-thomas&hl=en|access-date=June 11, 2010 }}</ref> The column provided an insider's view of various presidential administrations. |
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In 1975, the Washington Press Corps club, known as the [[Gridiron Club]], admitted Thomas, making her the first woman to become a member. From 1975 through 1976, she served as the first female president of the [[White House Correspondents' Association]].<ref name=cnnfacts/> |
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Thomas was the only member of the White House Press Corps to have her own seat in the [[James S. Brady Press Briefing Room|White House Briefing Room]].<ref name="west-wing-tour-2009">{{cite web|title=The West Wing|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/docs/west-wing-tour-booklet.pdf|page=18|date=November 24, 2009|via=[[NARA|National Archives]]|work=[[whitehouse.gov]]|quote=A plaque on each seat displays the name of the news organization to which it is assigned, except for one. Front and center is a chair reserved for Helen Thomas, a matriarch of the White House Press Corps that has covered every President since John F. Kennedy.}}</ref> All other seats are assigned to media outlets.<ref name="west-wing-tour-2009"/> |
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In 1979, the [[Supersisters]] trading card set was produced and distributed; one of the cards featured Thomas's name and picture.<ref>{{cite web|last=Wulf |first=Steve |url=http://espn.go.com/espnw/news-commentary/article/12535055/original-roster |title=Supersisters: Original Roster |publisher=Espn.go.com |date=March 23, 2015 |access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref> |
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===Departure from UPI=== |
===Departure from UPI=== |
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On May 17, 2000, the day after |
On May 17, 2000, the day after it was announced that the [[UPI]] had been acquired by [[News World Communications|News World Communications Inc.]], an international media conglomerate founded and controlled by [[Unification Church]] leader [[Sun Myung Moon|Reverend Sun Myung Moon]] which owns ''[[The Washington Times]]'' and other news media, Thomas resigned from the UPI after 57 years with the organization.<ref name=stout>{{cite news |title=Helen Thomas, Washington Fixture, Resigns as U.P.I. Reporter |first=David |last=Stout |work=The New York Times |date=May 17, 2000 |access-date=March 7, 2008|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/05/17/us/helen-thomas-washington-fixture-resigns-as-upi-reporter.html?pagewanted=1 }}</ref> She later described the change in ownership as "a bridge too far."<ref name=stout/><ref>{{cite news |author = Greg Winter | title = Helen Thomas Is Back as a Columnist With Hearst |website = The New York Times| date = July 10, 2000 | url = https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0DE2D91538F933A25754C0A9669C8B63 | access-date = April 15, 2008}}</ref> Less than two months later, she joined [[Hearst Corporation|Hearst Newspapers]] as an opinion columnist, writing on national affairs and the White House.<ref>{{cite news |title=Helen Thomas joins Hearst as a columnist |agency=Associated Press|author=AP staff| publisher=The Free-Lance Star (Fredericksburg, VA) |date=July 6, 2000 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=iDIzAAAAIBAJ&pg=4944,1288668&dq=helen-thomas&hl=en |access-date=June 12, 2010}}</ref> |
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After leaving her job as a reporter at the UPI, Thomas became more likely to air her personal, negative views. In a speech at the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]], she quipped, "I censored myself for 50 years when I was a reporter. Now I wake up and ask myself, 'Who do I hate today?'"<ref>{{cite news|author=Susan Stewart|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/18/arts/television/18hele.html?ref=arts|title=Just a Few More Questions, Ms. Thomas|newspaper=The New York Times|date=August 17, 2008|access-date=June 12, 2010}}</ref> |
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===George W. Bush administration=== |
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During President [[George W. Bush]]'s first term, Thomas reacted to Press Secretary [[Ari Fleischer]]'s statements about arms shipments<!--who was he saying shipped arms to terrorists--> to the terrorists by asking: "Where do the Israelis get their arms?" |
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He responded: "There's a difference, Helen, and that is—" |
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"What is the difference?" she asked. |
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He responded: "The targeting of innocents through the use of terror, which is a common enemy for [[Yasser Arafat]] and for the people of [[Israel]], as well as—" |
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She interrupted him, saying: "Palestinian people are fighting for their land." |
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After leaving her job as a reporter at the UPI, Thomas became more likely to air her personal negative views. In a speech at the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]], she quipped, "I censored myself for 50 years when I was a reporter. Now I wake up and ask myself, ‘Who do I hate today?’"<ref>{{cite news|author=Susan Stewart|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/18/arts/television/18hele.html?ref=arts|title=Just a Few More Questions, Ms. Thomas|work=Television review|newspaper=The New York Times|date=August 17, 2008|accessdate=June 12, 2010}}</ref> |
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He responded: "I think that the killing of innocents is a category entirely different. Justifying killing of innocents for land is an argument in support of terrorism."<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZZV7BY-sFbIC&q=israel+%22Helen+Thomas%22 |title=Taking Heat: The President, The Press And My Years In The White House|publisher=Harper Collins|author=Ari Fleisher|date=March 1, 2005 |access-date=June 16, 2010|isbn=978-0-06-074762-6}}</ref> |
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=== George W. Bush administration === |
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During President George W. Bush's first term, Thomas—who, according to [[Ari Fleischer]], holds strong views on the Middle East—reacted to Fleisher's statements to the press about arms shipments to the terrorists by asking: "Where do the Israelis get their arms?" He responded "There's a difference Helen, and that is --". "What is the difference?", she asked. He responded: "The targeting of innocents through the use of terror, which is a common enemy for Yasir Arafat and for the people of Israel, as well as --". She interrupted him, saying: "Palestinian people are fighting for their land." He responded: "I think that the killing of innocents is a category entirely different. Justifying killing of innocents for land is an argument in support of terrorism."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=ZZV7BY-sFbIC&dq=israel+%22Helen+Thomas%22&source=gbs_navlinks_s |title=Taking Heat: The President, The Press And My Years In The White House|publisher=Harper Collins|author=Ari Fleisher|date=March 1, 2005 |accessdate=June 16, 2010}}</ref> |
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In January 2003, following a speech at a [[Society of Professional Journalists]] banquet, Thomas told an autograph seeker, "I'm covering the worst president in American history." The autograph-seeker was a sports writer for ''[[The Daily Breeze]]'' and her comments were published. After that she was not called upon during a press conference for the first time in over four decades. She wrote to the President to apologize.<ref>{{cite news|author=Ann McFeatters| title =Thank 'You', Ms. Thomas | publisher = [[Ms. (magazine)|Ms. Magazine]] | date =Summer 2006 | url = http://www.msmagazine.com/summer2006/thankyoumsthomas.asp | access-date =June 12, 2010 }}</ref> |
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For many years, Thomas sat in the front row and asked the first question during White House press conferences. However, according to Thomas in a 2006 ''[[The Daily Show|Daily Show]]'' interview, this ended because she no longer represented a [[wire service]].<ref>{{Cite episode |
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| title = Helen Thomas |
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| url =http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-june-27-2006/helen-thomas |
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| access-date = April 2, 2012 |
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| series = [[The Daily Show]] |
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| network = Comedy Central |
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| date = June 27, 2006 |
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}}</ref> During the Bush administration, Thomas was moved to the back row during press conferences; she was called upon at briefings on a daily basis but no longer ended presidential news conferences by saying, "Thank you, Mr. President." When asked why she was seated in the back row, she said, "They didn't like me. . . . I ask too many mean questions."<ref>{{cite news | title = Five Minutes With: Helen Thomas | work = [[Campus Progress]] | publisher = [[Center for American Progress]] | format = Interview | date = February 28, 2006 | url = http://www.campusprogress.org/features/779/five-minutes-with-helen-thomas | access-date = June 12, 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100613063948/http://campusprogress.org/features/779/five-minutes-with-helen-thomas | archive-date = June 13, 2010 | url-status = dead }}</ref> |
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[[File:James Brady Press Briefing Room 2007 cropped.JPG|thumb|Thomas in the [[James S. Brady Press Briefing Room]] half an hour before morning gaggle, 2007]] |
[[File:James Brady Press Briefing Room 2007 cropped.JPG|thumb|Thomas in the [[James S. Brady Press Briefing Room]] half an hour before morning gaggle, 2007]] |
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On March 21, 2006, Thomas was called upon directly by President Bush for the first time in three years. Thomas asked Bush about the [[War in Iraq]]: |
On March 21, 2006, Thomas was called upon directly by President Bush for the first time in three years. Thomas asked Bush about the [[War in Iraq]]: |
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<blockquote>I'd like to ask you, Mr. President, your decision to invade Iraq |
<blockquote>I'd like to ask you, Mr. President, [about] your decision to invade Iraq . . . Every reason given, publicly at least, has turned out not to be true. My question is: Why did you really want to go to war? . . . You have said it wasn't oil . . . quest for oil, it hasn't been Israel, or anything else. What was it?</blockquote> |
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Bush responded by discussing the [[War on Terror]], |
Bush responded by discussing the [[War on Terror]], stating as a reason for the invasion that [[Saddam Hussein]] chose to [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441#Implementation of resolution|deny inspectors]] and not to disclose required information.<ref>{{cite web| title = Press Conference of the President | date =March 21, 2006 | url = https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/03/20060321-4.html | via = [[NARA|National Archives]] | work = [[whitehouse.gov]] | access-date = June 12, 2010}}</ref> |
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In July 2006, she told ''[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]'', "The day [[Dick Cheney]] is going to run for president, I'll [[suicide|kill myself]]. All we need is another liar . . . I think he'd like to run, but it would be a sad day for the country if he does."<ref>{{cite news|author=Albert Eisele |title=Reporter: Cheney's Not Presidential Material |newspaper=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] |date=July 28, 2006 |url=http://thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/UndertheDome/072805.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061113124030/http://www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/UndertheDome/072805.html |archive-date=November 13, 2006 }}</ref> |
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At the July 18, 2006, White House press briefing, Thomas remarked, "The United States is not that helpless. It could have stopped the bombardment of Lebanon. We have that much control with the Israelis... we have gone for collective punishment against all of Lebanon and Palestine." Press Secretary [[Tony Snow]] responded, "Thank you for the [[Hezbollah]] view."<ref>{{cite news | author =Lynn Sweet | title = Tony Snow: On Lebanon-Not calling for cease fire if it leaves status quo intact | work = Lynn Sweet: The scoop from Washington | publisher = [[Chicago Sun-Times]]| date =July 18, 2006 | url = http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2006/07/tony_snow_on_lebanonnot_callin.html | accessdate = June 12, 2010 }}</ref> Other members of the press weighed in. According to ''[[Washington Post]]'' television critic [[Tom Shales]], questions like the one above have sounded more like "tirades" and "anti-Israeli rhetoric."<ref>{{cite news |author =Tom Shales | title = A Story With a Few Holes: Portrait of Helen Thomas Obscures Flaws | publisher = The Washington Post | date = August 18, 2008 | url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/17/AR2008081702454.html | accessdate =June 12, 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | author= Ruth Etzioni | title = Letter to the Editor: The Middle East: Thomas' Nostalgia for Arafat Misplaced, Curious | publisher = [[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]] | date = June 27, 2007 | url = http://www.seattlepi.com/opinion/321371_ltrs27.html| accessdate = June 12, 2010 }}</ref> [[Reagan administration]] spokesman [[Larry Speakes]] described Thomas as having "strong anti-Israeli feelings." <ref> Larry Speakes, ''Speaking Out: The Reagan Presidency from Inside the White House'' Avon Books, 1989 p. 226 </ref> |
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At the July 18, 2006, White House press briefing, Thomas remarked: "The United States . . . could have stopped the bombardment of Lebanon. We have that much control with the Israelis . . . we have gone for collective punishment against all of Lebanon and Palestine." Press Secretary [[Tony Snow]] responded: "Thank you for the [[Hezbollah]] view."<ref>{{cite news | author = Lynn Sweet | title = Tony Snow: On Lebanon-Not calling for cease fire if it leaves status quo intact | work = Lynn Sweet: The scoop from Washington | publisher = [[Chicago Sun-Times]] | date = July 18, 2006 | url = http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2006/07/tony_snow_on_lebanonnot_callin.html | access-date = June 12, 2010 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111017032436/http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2006/07/tony_snow_on_lebanonnot_callin.html | archive-date = October 17, 2011 }}</ref> |
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In a press conference on November 30, 2007, Thomas questioned White House Press Secretary [[Dana Perino]] as to why Americans should depend on General [[David Petraeus]] in determining when to re-deploy U.S troops from Iraq. Perino began to answer when Thomas interjected with "You mean how many more people we kill?" Perino immediately took offense, responding, |
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In a press conference on November 30, 2007, Thomas questioned White House Press Secretary [[Dana Perino]] as to why Americans should depend on General [[David Petraeus]] in determining when to re-deploy U.S. troops from Iraq. Perino began to answer, when Thomas interjected with "You mean how many more people we kill?" Perino immediately took offense, responding: |
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<blockquote>Helen, I find it really unfortunate that you use your front row position, bestowed upon you by your colleagues, to make such statements. This is a...it is an honor and a privilege to be in the briefing room, and to suggest that we, the United States, are killing innocent people is just absurd and very offensive.<ref>{{cite news | title = Press Briefing by Dana Perino and Mark Dybul, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator | author = White House Office of the Press Secretary | publisher = The White House | date =November 30, 2007 | url = http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2007/11/20071130-5.html | accessdate =June 12, 2008}}</ref></blockquote> |
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<blockquote>Helen, I find it really unfortunate that you use your front row position, bestowed upon you by your colleagues, to make such statements. This is a...it is an honor and a privilege to be in the briefing room, and to suggest that we, the United States, are killing innocent people is just absurd and very offensive.<ref>{{cite news | title = Press Briefing by Dana Perino and Mark Dybul, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator | author = White House Office of the Press Secretary | date =November 30, 2007 | url = https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2007/11/20071130-5.html | via = [[NARA|National Archives]] | work = [[whitehouse.gov]] | access-date =June 12, 2008}}</ref></blockquote> |
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Refusing to back down, Thomas responded immediately by asking Perino if she knew how many innocent Iraqis had been killed and then questioned the worth of regret when Perino responded that the administration regretted the loss of all innocent Iraqi lives.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/8301-500803_162-3585995-500803.html |title=When The Press Presses Perino - Couric & Co. |publisher=CBS News |date=December 7, 2007 |access-date=July 21, 2013}}</ref> |
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A December 4, 2007, [[CNN]] report by [[Jeanne Moos]] showed video of a seating chart of reporters covering a press conference given by President Bush concerning reports of Iran not having pursued nuclear weapons since 2003. The spot for Thomas was crossed out with an X and she was never called upon.<ref>{{cite news | last = Moos | first = Jeanne | title = Presidential press follies | publisher = CNN | date =December 4, 2007 | url = http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/offbeat/2007/12/04/moos.president.press.follies.cnn | accessdate = November 13, 2008}}</ref>{{dead link|date=June 2010}} |
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===Obama administration=== |
===Obama administration=== |
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[[File: |
[[File:President Barack Obama presents cupcakes with a candle to Hearst White House columnist Helen Thomas in honor of her birthday in the James Brady Briefing Room.jpg|thumb|right|President [[Barack Obama]] presenting Thomas cupcakes on her 89th birthday<ref>Cook, Dave.; Orr, Jimmy.[http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2009/0804/obama-shares-a-birthday-and-a-smooch-with-helen-thomas Obama shares a birthday and a smooch with Helen Thomas.] ''[[The Christian Science Monitor]]''. August 4, 2009.</ref>]] |
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On February 9, 2009, Thomas was present in the front row for newly elected President [[Barack Obama|Obama's]] first news conference. President Obama called on her with the statement "Helen. I'm excited, this is my inaugural moment |
On February 9, 2009, Thomas was present in the front row for newly elected President [[Barack Obama|Obama's]] first news conference. President Obama called on her with the statement, "Helen. I'm excited, this is my inaugural moment,"<ref>NBC News, February 9, 2009</ref> seemingly a reference to her long-term presence in the [[White House Press Corps]].<ref name="nyt-obama">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/10/us/politics/10media.html|title=New Media Breaks in, but Tradition Lives On|author=Jeff Zeleny|newspaper=The New York Times|date=February 10, 2009}}</ref> Thomas asked if he knew of any Middle Eastern country that possessed [[nuclear weapon]]s, implicitly asking him to confirm or deny Israel's alleged nuclear arsenal, despite Israel's long held stance of "nuclear ambiguity". Obama replied that he did not want to "speculate" on the matter. |
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On July 1, 2009, Thomas commented on the Obama administration's handling of the press, "we have had some control but not this control. I mean I'm amazed, I'm amazed at you people who call for openness and transparency and you have controlled...".<ref>{{cite news |
On July 1, 2009, Thomas commented on the Obama administration's handling of the press, "we have had some control but not this control. I mean I'm amazed, I'm amazed at you people who call for openness and transparency and you have controlled...".<ref>{{cite news|title=White House Reporters Grill Gibbs Over 'Prepackaged' Questions for Obama|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fh5vzOAEQ-A |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/fh5vzOAEQ-A| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|work=CSPAN-2|date=July 1, 2009 |access-date=July 2, 2009}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Kim LaCapria|title=Helen Thomas calls Obama administration out on social media smokescreen|url=http://www.inquisitr.com/28013/helen-thomas-calls-obama-administration-out-on-social-media-smokescreen/|work=The Inquisitr|date=July 2, 2009 |access-date=August 9, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Daniela Sicuranza|author2=Stephen Clark|title=White House Disputes Criticism That Health Care Town Hall Meeting Is Staged|url=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/07/01/white-house-disputes-criticism-town-hall-meeting-staged/|work=FOX News|date=July 1, 2009|access-date=August 9, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090803133345/http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/07/01/white-house-disputes-criticism-town-hall-meeting-staged/|archive-date=August 3, 2009}}</ref> |
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On August 4, 2009, Thomas celebrated her 89th birthday. |
On August 4, 2009, Thomas celebrated her 89th birthday. President Obama, whose birthday is on the same day, presented Thomas with birthday cupcakes and sang ''Happy Birthday'' to her before that day's press conference.<ref>Jimmy Orr, [http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/The-Vote/2009/0804/obama-sings-happy-birthday-to-himself-and-helen-thomas Obama sings Happy Birthday to himself (and Helen Thomas)], ''The Christian Science Monitor'', August 4, 2009.</ref> |
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===Comments on Israel=== |
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== Controversy and resignation == |
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Rabbi David Nesenoff of RabbiLive.com, on the White House grounds with his son and a teenage friend<ref>Ron Kampeas, [http://www.jta.org/news/article/2010/06/08/2739500/helen-thomas-enter-the-maverick-exit-the-bigot Little-known rabbi brings down Helen Thomas] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111130101038/http://www.jta.org/news/article/2010/06/08/2739500/helen-thomas-enter-the-maverick-exit-the-bigot |date=November 30, 2011 }}, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, June 8, 2010.</ref> for a May 27, 2010, American Jewish Heritage Celebration Day,<ref name=AFPStaff>{{cite news|author=AFP staff reporter|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3902922,00.html|title=Hezbollah lauds Helen Thomas|newspaper=YNetNews|access-date=June 17, 2010|date=June 9, 2010}}</ref> interviewed Thomas for an unscheduled short conversation as she was leaving the White House via the [[North Lawn]] driveway.<ref name="quit">{{cite news|url=http://www.jta.org/news/article/2010/06/07/2739488/helen-thomas-quits|title=Helen Thomas quits|author=JTA staff|location=Washington DC|date=June 7, 2010|publisher=[[Jewish Telegraphic Agency]]|access-date=June 11, 2010}}</ref><ref name="foxnews1">{{cite web|last=Berger|first=Judson|url=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/06/10/groups-consider-renaming-helen-thomas-awards-controversy/ |title=Groups Consider Renaming 'Helen Thomas' Awards |publisher=FOX News|date=June 10, 2010 |access-date=February 26, 2015}}</ref><ref name="li press 06-16-10">{{cite news|url=http://www.longislandpress.com/2010/06/16/l-i-rabbi-faces-blowback-for-helen-thomas-expose/ |title=L.I. Rabbi Faces Blowback for Helen Thomas Expose |author=Timothy Bolger |newspaper=Long Island Press |date=June 16, 2010 |access-date=June 17, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100619093307/http://www.longislandpress.com/2010/06/16/l-i-rabbi-faces-blowback-for-helen-thomas-expose/ |archive-date=June 19, 2010 }}</ref><ref name="hillretirement">{{cite news |title=Helen Thomas quits after Israel remarks |author=Sam Youngman |author2=Emily Goodin |newspaper=The Hill |date=June 7, 2010 |url=http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/101731-helen-thomas-announces-retirement |archive-date=June 11, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100611070914/http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/101731-helen-thomas-announces-retirement |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="rabbilive">{{cite video|url=https://youtube.com/watch?v=nc4OeRu7cfs |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/nc4OeRu7cfs| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|title=Helen Thomas Complete (original)|date=June 7, 2010|last=Nesenoff|first=David|type=Videotape|publisher=RabbiLive.com|others=Interviewed Helen Thomas|access-date=July 3, 2021}}{{cbignore}} (recorded May 27, 2010)</ref><ref name="bbcretirement">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/us_and_canada/10259646.stm|title=US reporter Helen Thomas quits over Israel comments|author=BBC News staff|date=June 7, 2010|work=[[BBC News]]|access-date=June 7, 2010}}</ref><ref name="why we">{{cite news|author=Jon Ward|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/11/AR2010061105355.html |title=Why we'll miss Helen Thomas |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=June 13, 2010 |access-date=June 14, 2010}}</ref><ref name=stein>{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/04/ari-fleischer-fire-helen-thomas_n_601565.html|title=Ari Fleischer: Fire Helen Thomas|author=Sam Stein|date=June 4, 2010|website=The Huffington Post|access-date=June 5, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.democracynow.org/2010/6/8/veteran_white_house_reporter_helen_thomas|title=Veteran White House Reporter Helen Thomas Retires After Israel Remarks|author=Amy Goodman|work=Headlines|format=Transcript|publisher=[[Democracy Now!]]|date=June 8, 2010}}</ref> When solicited for "any comments on [[Israel]]," she replied, "tell them to get the hell out of [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]]" and: "Remember, these people are occupied and it's their land. Not German [''sic''], it's not Poland." Then he asked: "Where they should go? What do they do?". To which she responded: "They go home." He follows-up with: "Where's the home?". She replies back with "Poland, .." but in the middle of her answer, he adds to his question: "So the Jews..", she adds: "...Germany." He finishes off: "...should go back to Poland and Germany?" To which she finally responds: "And America and everywhere else. Why push people out of there who have lived there for centuries? See?" An about two-minutes long full cut of the May 27, 2010, interview was posted on Nesenoff's YouTube channel on June 7.<ref name="rabbilive"/> |
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===Comments on Israel and Jews === |
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Thomas retired abruptly on June 7, 2010, following negative reaction to comments she made about Israel, Jews, and Palestine.<ref name="foxnews2"/><ref name="li press 06-16-10">{{cite web|url=http://www.longislandpress.com/2010/06/16/l-i-rabbi-faces-blowback-for-helen-thomas-expose/ |title=L.I. Rabbi Faces Blowback for Helen Thomas Expose|author=Timothy Bolger|publisher=Long Island Press |date=June 16, 2010 |accessdate=June 17, 2010}}</ref><ref name="quit">{{cite news|url=http://www.jta.org/news/article/2010/06/07/2739488/helen-thomas-quits|title=Helen Thomas quits|author=JTA staff|location=Washington DC|date=June 7, 2010|publisher=[[Jewish Telegraphic Agency]]|accessdate=June 11, 2010}}</ref><ref name="hillretirement">{{cite news |title=Helen Thomas quits after Israel remarks|author=Sam Youngman |author2=Emily Goodin |newspaper=The Hill |date=June 7, 2010 |url=http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/101731-helen-thomas-announces-retirement|archivedate=June 11, 2010|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5qPIVDRlZ}}</ref><ref name="rabbilive">{{cite video|url=http://www.rabbilive.com/RabbiLIVE/Helen.html| people =, Rabbi David Nesenoff; Helen Thomas| title =Helen Thomas, Complete Version, (2 minutes)| medium = video | publisher =RabbiLive.com | location =Washington D.C. | date =posted June 7, 2010, recorded May 27, 2010|accessdate=June 17, 2010 }}</ref><ref name="bbcretirement">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/us_and_canada/10259646.stm|title=US reporter Helen Thomas quits over Israel comments|author=BBC News staff|date=June 7, 2010|work=[[BBC News]]|accessdate=June 7, 2010}}</ref> |
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In a later interview on [[CNN]], on ''[[Joy Behar: Say Anything!|The Joy Behar Show]]'', Thomas defended her comments. In response to Behar's question of whether she was an antisemite, Thomas replied: "Hell no! I'm a [[Semitic people|Semite]], of Arab background." She then said of Israelis: "They're not Semites."<ref name="haaretz.com">[https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/1.5124590 Helen Thomas: Jews Didn't Have to Leave Europe Following Holocaust] Haaretz Service February 18, 2011</ref> |
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On May 27, 2010, outside a Jewish Heritage Celebration Day event at the [[White House]], the following exchange took place between Thomas and Rabbi [[David Nesenoff]]:<ref name="rabbilive"/><ref name=stein>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/04/ari-fleischer-fire-helen-thomas_n_601565.html|title=Ari Fleischer: Fire Helen Thomas|author=Sam Stein|date=June 4, 2010|publisher=The Huffington Post|accessdate=June 5, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.democracynow.org/2010/6/8/veteran_white_house_reporter_helen_thomas|title=Veteran White House Reporter Helen Thomas Retires After Israel Remarks|author=Amy Goodman|work=Headlines|format=Transcript|publisher=[[Democracy Now!]]|date=June 8, 2010}}</ref> |
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{{quote|'''Nesenoff''': Any comments on Israel? We're asking everybody today, any comments on Israel? |
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In addition, Thomas said in the [[CNN]] interview: "Why do they [Jews] have to go anywhere? They aren't being persecuted! They don't have the right to take other people's land."<ref name="haaretz.com"/><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://mondoweiss.net/2013/07/helen-thomass-anti-zionist-statements/ | title='I'm anti-Zionist,' Helen Thomas declared, in twilight of long career|website=MondoWeiss| date=July 21, 2013}}</ref> When asked if she regretted the comment, she said: "We have organized lobbyists in favor of Israel, you can't open your mouth. I can call the [[president of the United States]] anything in the book, but you say one thing about Israel and you're off limits."<ref name="haaretz.com"/> |
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'''Thomas''': Tell them to get the hell out of Palestine. |
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Following the controversy, The Executive Committee of the [[Society of Professional Journalists]] (SPJ) voted to recommend that the organization retire the Helen Thomas Award for Lifetime Achievement, which had been awarded since 2000. After her initial comments, the committee decided not to act, as it was "a one-time, spontaneous remark for which she apologized", but acted after she reiterated it.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.spj.org/news.asp?REF=1028 |title = SPJ executive committee refers Helen Thomas Award decision to full board of directors}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.spj.org/a-hthomas.asp | title=Helen Thomas Award for Lifetime Achievement - Society of Professional Journalists}}</ref> |
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'''Nesenoff''': Oooh. Any better comments on Israel? |
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On June 4, Thomas posted the following response on her website: "I deeply regret my comments I made last week regarding the Israelis and the Palestinians. They do not reflect my heart-felt belief that peace will come to the Middle East only when all parties recognize the need for mutual respect and tolerance. May that day come soon."<ref name="foxnewscontroversy" /><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/jews-should-leave-palestine-and-return-to-europe-top-u-s-journalist-says-1.294284/|title=Jews should leave Palestine and return to Europe, top U.S. journalist says|author=Natasha Mozgovaya|newspaper=[[Haaretz]]|date=June 5, 2010|access-date=June 12, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://helenthomas.org/ |title=Helen Thomas |author=Helen Thomas |date=June 4, 2010 |access-date=June 4, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100610214715/http://www.helenthomas.org/ |archive-date=June 10, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> |
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'''Thomas''': Remember, these people are occupied and it's their land. It's not German, it's not Poland ... |
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====Resignation==== |
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'''Nesenoff''': So where should they go, what should they do? |
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Thomas's agency, Nine Speakers, Inc., immediately dropped her as a client because of her remarks.<ref>{{cite news |title=Thomas gets dropped by agency |publisher=Politico|date=June 6, 2010 |author=Patrick Gavin |url= http://www.politico.com/blogs/onmedia/0610/Thomas_gets_dropped_by_agency.html|access-date=June 12, 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/hearst-columnist-helen-thomas-fire-telling-jews-back/story?id=10842149 |work=ABC News |title=Columnist Draws Fire for Telling Jews 'Go Home' |author=Kristina Wong |date=June 6, 2010|access-date=June 12, 2010 }}</ref> In a statement, they said "Ms. Thomas has had an esteemed career as a journalist, and she has been a trailblazer for women, helping others in her profession, and beyond. However, in light of recent events, Nine Speakers is no longer able to represent Ms. Thomas, nor can we condone her comments on the Middle East."<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Media/hearst-columnist-helen-thomas-fire-telling-jews-back/story?id=10842149 | title=Columnist Draws Fire for Telling Jews 'Go Home'| website=[[ABC News]]}}</ref> [[Craig Crawford]], who co-authored ''Listen up, Mr. President'', said "I ... will no longer be working with Helen on our book projects."<ref name="ListenUp">{{cite news|url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/06/06/helen-thomas-under-fire-for-saying-jews-in-israel-should-go-back-to-germany-poland/ |title=Helen Thomas under fire for saying Jews in Israel should go back to Germany, Poland |publisher=CNN |author=Martina Stewart|date=June 6, 2010 |access-date=June 7, 2010}}</ref> Her scheduled delivery of a commencement speech at [[Walt Whitman High School (Bethesda, Maryland)|Walt Whitman High School]] in [[Bethesda, Maryland|Bethesda]], [[Maryland]], was canceled by the school.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/06/AR2010060604269_pf.html|title= Helen Thomas agrees to bow out as commencement speaker at Walt Whitman High |newspaper=The Washington Post |date= June 7, 2010 |author=Martin Weil }}</ref> The [[White House Correspondents' Association]], over which she once presided, issued a statement calling her remarks "indefensible".<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.whca.net/blogs.htm |title=Statement issued by the board of the White House Correspondents' Association| date=June 7, 2010}}</ref> In January 2011, the [[Society of Professional Journalists]] voted to retire the Helen Thomas Award for Lifetime Achievement.<ref name="foxnews1"/><ref>{{Cite news |author= Steele, Micki |title= Journalism group shelves Helen Thomas award |url= http://detnews.com/article/20110114/METRO/101140457/1409/metro |work= [[The Detroit News]] |date= January 14, 2011 |access-date= January 19, 2011}}</ref> |
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On June 7, Thomas abruptly tendered her resignation from Hearst Newspapers.<ref name="foxnews1"/> The next day, in an interview on [[NBC]]'s ''[[Today (NBC program)|Today Show]]'', President Obama called her remarks "offensive" and "out of line" and said her retirement was "the right decision." He remarked that it was a "shame" her celebrated career had to end in such controversy, and at the same time he recognized her long service covering U.S. presidents, calling her "a real institution in Washington".<ref name="usatoday1">{{cite news |url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2010/06/obama-calls-helen-thomas-comments-offensive/1 |title=Obama calls Helen Thomas' comments "offensive" |author=Mimi Hall |date=June 8, 2010 |website=USA Today |access-date=June 12, 2010}}</ref> Her comments also garnered rebukes from numerous others, including White House Press Secretary [[Robert Gibbs]], former White House Press Secretary [[Ari Fleischer]], former special counsel to and White House spokesman for President [[Bill Clinton]], [[Lanny Davis]], former Arkansas Gov. [[Mike Huckabee]] and Hoover Institution senior fellow [[Victor Davis Hanson]].<ref name="foxnewscontroversy">{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/06/06/ari-fleischer-helen-thomas-fired/|title=Ex-Spokesmen Lead Charge for White House Reporter Helen Thomas to Be Fired|author=Fox News staff|publisher=Fox News |date=June 6, 2010 |access-date=June 6, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.politico.com/blogs/onmedia/0610/Gibbs_rebukes_Thomas.html?showall |title=Gibbs rebukes Thomas |date=June 7, 2010 |publisher=Politico |author=Patrick Gavin |access-date= January 9, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Times |first=Arkansas |url=http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/smart-talk-june-17/Content?oid=1205627 |title=Smart Talk |newspaper=Arkansas Times|date=June 17, 2010 |access-date=June 17, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |author=Victor Davis Hanson |url=http://article.nationalreview.com/436085/helen-thomas-turkey-and-the-liberation-of-israel/victor-davis-hanson |title=Helen Thomas, Turkey, and the Liberation of Israel |magazine=National Review |format=Opinion |access-date=June 17, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100614103517/http://article.nationalreview.com/436085/helen-thomas-turkey-and-the-liberation-of-israel/victor-davis-hanson |archive-date=June 14, 2010 }}</ref> |
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'''Thomas''': They go home. |
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Thomas did have defenders who felt she was being attacked too harshly, including former presidential candidate [[Ralph Nader]], [[Fox News]] contributor [[Ellen Ratner]], former UPI managing editor Michael Freedman and ''[[The Nation]]'' editor and publisher [[Katrina vanden Heuvel]]. Nader said there was a "double standard" where one "off-hand 'ill-conceived remark'" (quoting [[NPR]] ombudsman [[Alicia Shepard]]) ended Helen Thomas' career while "[[shock jock|ultra-right wing radio]] and [[opinion journalism|cable]] ranters" engaged in "[[islamophobia|bigotry, stereotypes and falsehoods directed wholesale against Muslims]], including a blatant [[anti-Arabism|antisemitism against Arabs]]" keep getting rewarded with "enhanced careers and fat lecture fees."<ref name="Nader">{{Cite news|last=Nader|first=Ralph|author-link=Ralph Nader|date=June 16, 2010|title=The Scourging of Helen Thomas|work=[[CounterPunch]]|url=https://counterpunch.org/2010/06/16/the-scourging-of-helen-thomas|access-date=July 3, 2021}}</ref> |
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'''Nesenoff''': Where's the home? |
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In an October 2010 radio interview with Scott Spears of [[WMRN (AM)|WMRN]], Thomas said she realized soon after making the comments that she would be fired, stating, "I hit the [[third rail (politics)|third rail]]. You cannot criticize Israel in this country and survive." She added that she issued an apology because people were upset, but that ultimately, she still "had the same feelings about [[Human rights in Israel#Human rights in the occupied territories|Israel's aggression and brutality]]."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/ScottSpearsWmrn-am-InterviewsHelenThomas|title = Scott Spears interviews Helen Thomas WMRN 1490 AM}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Helen Thomas on being antisemitic: 'Baloney!' |agency=Associated Press |date=October 12, 2010 |url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hrzSPl26rYhOVbdFZ6x94gFhc8aAD9IQ8CQ81?docId=D9IQ8CQ81|access-date=February 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101015044414/http://www.google.com:80/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hrzSPl26rYhOVbdFZ6x94gFhc8aAD9IQ8CQ81|archive-date=October 15, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
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'''Thomas''': Poland. Germany. |
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==Last years== |
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'''Nesenoff''': So you're saying the Jews go back to Poland and Germany? |
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===2010 speech and comments about Jews and Zionists=== |
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On December 2, 2010, shortly before a speech for the eighth annual "Images and Perceptions of Arab Americans" conference in [[Dearborn, Michigan]], Thomas told reporters that she still stood by the comments she had made to Nesenoff. Referring to her resignation, she said "I paid a price, but it's worth it to speak the truth."<ref name="wayne"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Helen Thomas stands by remarks about Israelis |agency=The Detroit News |date=December 2, 2010 |url=http://www.detnews.com/article/20101202/POLITICS03/12020480/Helen-Thomas-stands-by-remarks-about-Israelis|access-date=December 2, 2010}}</ref><ref>[http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2010/12/20101229124751864918.html Helen Thomas: Thrown to the wolves], Danny Schechter, ''[[Al Jazeera Media Network|Aljazeera]]'', December 28, 2010</ref> During the speech, Thomas said: "[[United States Congress|Congress]], the [[White House]], [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]] and [[Wall Street]] are owned by [[Zionist]]s. No question, in my opinion."<ref name="wayne"/><ref>([https://lidblog.com/video-of-full-helen-thomas-anti-semitic/ Video of her full speech can be seen here.])</ref> Thomas defended her comments on December 7, telling Scott Spears of [[Marion, Ohio]] radio station WMRN, "I just think that people should be enlightened as to who is in charge of the opinion in this country."<ref>{{Cite news |author= Warikoo, Niraj |title= Helen Thomas says Anti-Defamation League is intimidating her|work= [[Detroit Free Press]] |url= http://www.freep.com/article/20101209/NEWS05/12090446/Helen-Thomas-says-Anti-Defamation-League-is-intimidating-her|date= December 9, 2010 |access-date= December 30, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101215004542/http://www.freep.com/article/20101209/NEWS05/12090446/Helen-Thomas-says-Anti-Defamation-League-is-intimidating-her|archive-date=December 15, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
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The next day, the [[Anti-Defamation League]] called for journalism schools and organizations to rescind any honors given to Thomas. The organization said that Thomas had "clearly, unequivocally revealed herself as a vulgar antisemite" in the speech.<ref>[http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=198099 Helen Thomas: 'Congress, White House owned by the Zionists'], Jerusalem Post December 5, 2010</ref> [[Wayne State University]] in [[Detroit]] discontinued the Helen Thomas Spirit of Diversity in Media Award, which it had been granting for more than ten years, citing what it called her antisemitic remarks.<ref name="wayne">[http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/12/04/Wayne-State-ends-Helen-Thomas-Award/UPI-69151291511834/ Wayne State ends Helen Thomas Award], UPI December 4, 2010</ref> Thomas objected, saying that "the leaders of Wayne State University have made a mockery of the First Amendment and disgraced their understanding of its inherent freedom of speech and the press."<ref>{{Cite news |author= Warikoo, Niraj |title= Helen Thomas blasts Wayne State University for ending award in her honor |work= [[Detroit Free Press]] |url=http://www.freep.com/article/20101207/NEWS05/12070439/Helen-Thomas-blasts-Wayne-State-University-for-ending-award-in-her-honor |date= December 7, 2010 |access-date= December 30, 2010}}</ref> Asked by the ''[[Detroit Free Press]]'' how she would respond to people who say she is antisemitic, Thomas responded: 'I'd say I'm a Semite. What are you talking about?'"<ref>{{Cite news |author= Warikoo, Niraj |title= Thomas stands by her remarks on Israel |work=[[Detroit Free Press]] |url= http://www.freep.com/article/20101203/NEWS05/12030394/1001/News/Thomas-sticking-by-her-remarks-on-Israel |date=December 3, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206081115/http://www.freep.com/article/20101203/NEWS05/12030394/1001/News/Thomas-sticking-by-her-remarks-on-Israel|archive-date=December 6, 2010|url-status=dead|access-date=February 19, 2021}}</ref> |
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'''Thomas''': And America and everywhere else. Why push people out of there who have lived there for centuries? See?}} |
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Thomas was interviewed for the April 2011 issue of ''[[Playboy]]'' magazine, and made further contentious statements.<ref name=BIplayboy>{{cite news|last=MacNicol|first=Glynnis|title=In An Interview With Playboy Helen Thomas Doubles Down On Claims Congress, White House, Hollywood, And Wall Street Are Owned By 'Zionists'|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/helen-thomas-playboy-zionists-2011-3|work=[[Business Insider]]|date=March 18, 2011|access-date=May 2, 2020}}</ref> When asked "Do you actually think there’s a secret Jewish conspiracy at work in this country [the US]?", Thomas replied, "Not a secret. It’s very open."<ref name=BIplayboy /> |
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The video was posted on Rabbi Nesenoff's site on June 3, 2010. On June 4, Thomas issued a statement on her personal web site: |
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===Subsequent employment=== |
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<blockquote>I deeply regret my comments I made last week regarding the Israelis and the Palestinians. They do not reflect my heart-felt belief that peace will come to the Middle East only when all parties recognize the need for mutual respect and tolerance. May that day come soon.<ref name="foxnewscontroversy">{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/06/06/ari-fleischer-helen-thomas-fired/|title=Ex-Spokesmen Lead Charge for White House Reporter Helen Thomas to Be Fired|publisher=Fox News |date=June 6, 2010 |accessdate=June 6, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/jews-should-leave-palestine-and-return-to-europe-top-u-s-journalist-says-1.294284/|title=Jews should leave Palestine and return to Europe, top U.S. journalist says|author=Natasha Mozgovaya|publisher=[[Haaretz]]|date=June 5, 2010|accessdate=June 12, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://helenthomas.org/ |title=Helen Thomas |author=Helen Thomas |date=June 4, 2010 |accessdate=June 4, 2010 }}</ref></blockquote> |
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Thomas was employed as a columnist by the Virginia ''[[Falls Church News-Press]]'' from January 2011 to January 2012, contributing a few sporadic columns in the free weekly paper.<ref name = fcnp-2011-07>{{Cite news |
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| author = FCNP.com staff |
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| url = http://fcnp.com/2011/01/06/veteran-journalist-thomas-resumes-column-today-in-news-press/ |
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| title = Veteran Journalist Thomas Resumes Column in News-Press |
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| date = January 6, 2011 |
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| newspaper = [[Falls Church News-Press]] |
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| publisher = Falls Church News-Press Online |
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| location = [[Falls Church]], VA 22046, US |
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| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140529103602/http://fcnp.com/2011/01/06/veteran-journalist-thomas-resumes-column-today-in-news-press/ |
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| archive-date = May 29, 2014 |
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| url-status = live |
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| access-date = June 21, 2015 |
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}}</ref> Owner-Editor [[Nicholas F. Benton|Nicholas Benton]] repeatedly defended the decision to hire her despite her comments.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fcnp.com/news/8196-veteran-journalist-thomas-resumes-column-today-in-news-press.html|title=Veteran Journalist Thomas Resumes Column in News-Press|work=FCNP|date=January 6, 2011|access-date=July 20, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120629162001/http://www.fcnp.com/news/8196-veteran-journalist-thomas-resumes-column-today-in-news-press.html|archive-date=June 29, 2012}}</ref> He said in 2011 that he was "outraged" when the Society of Professional Journalists voted on retiring a scholarship award named for Thomas.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fcnp.com/archives/10249-editorial-helen-thomas-moral-victory-.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130122211453/http://www.fcnp.com/archives/10249-editorial-helen-thomas-moral-victory-.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 22, 2013|title=Editorial: Helen Thomas' Moral Victory|work=FCNP|date=October 5, 2011|access-date=July 20, 2013}}</ref> Benton defended Thomas from antisemitism by saying that Thomas "is herself a Semite" and was "expressing a political point of view [in the interview with Nesenoff above], and not a bigoted racial sentiment."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fcnp.com/commentary/local/10249-editorial-helen-thomas-moral-victory-.html|title=Editorial: Helen Thomas' Moral Victory|access-date=July 14, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111019074627/http://www.fcnp.com/commentary/local/10249-editorial-helen-thomas-moral-victory-.html|archive-date=October 19, 2011}}</ref> |
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== |
==Personal life== |
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Thomas described herself as a [[liberalism|liberal]].<ref name="middletown" /> For most of her adult life, she chose her work over her personal life.<ref name=":1">{{cite web|last=Neuman |first=Johanna |url=https://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-helen-thomas-20130721,0,7330935.story |title=Helen Thomas, pioneering journalist, dies at 92 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=July 20, 2013 |access-date=July 21, 2013}}</ref> At age 51, Thomas married a colleague, Douglas Cornell, who was just retiring as the White House reporter for the [[Associated Press]].<ref name="mlive" /> Four years later, he was diagnosed with [[Alzheimer's disease]], and she cared for him until his death in 1982.<ref name=":1" /> |
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Thomas's agency, Nine Speakers, Inc., dropped her as a client because of her remarks.<ref>{{cite news |title=Thomas gets dropped by agency |publisher=Politico|date=June 6, 2010 |author=Patrick Gavin |url= http://www.politico.com/blogs/onmedia/0610/Thomas_gets_dropped_by_agency.html|accessdate=June 12, 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/hearst-columnist-helen-thomas-fire-telling-jews-back/story?id=10842149 |work=ABC News |title=Columnist Draws Fire for Telling Jews 'Go Home' |author=Kristina Wong |date=June 6, 2010|accessdate=June 12, 2010 }}</ref> [[Craig Crawford]], who co-authored ''Listen up, Mr. President'', said "I ... will no longer be working with Helen on our book projects.”<ref name="ListenUp">{{cite news|url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/06/06/helen-thomas-under-fire-for-saying-jews-in-israel-should-go-back-to-germany-poland/ |title=Helen Thomas under fire for saying Jews in Israel should go back to Germany, Poland |publisher=CNN |author=Martina Stewart|date=June 6, 2010 |accessdate=June 7, 2010}}</ref> Her scheduled delivery of a commencement speech at [[Walt Whitman High School]] in [[Bethesda, Maryland|Bethesda]], [[Maryland]], was canceled by the school.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/06/AR2010060604269_pf.html|title= Helen Thomas agrees to bow out as commencement speaker at Walt Whitman High |publisher=The Washington Post |date= June 7, 2010 |author=Martin Weil }}</ref> The [[White House Correspondents' Association]], over which she once presided, issued a statement calling her remarks "indefensible".<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.whca.net/blogs.htm |title=Statement issued by the board of the [[White House Correspondents' Association]]| date=June 7, 2010}}</ref> On June 7, Thomas abruptly tendered her resignation from Hearst Newspapers.<ref name="foxnews1">{{cite web|author=Reuters |url=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/06/10/groups-consider-renaming-helen-thomas-awards-controversy/?test=latestnews |title=Groups Consider Renaming 'Helen Thomas' Awards |publisher=FOX News|date=April 7, 2010 |accessdate=June 17, 2010}}</ref> |
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==Death== |
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On June 8, in an interview on [[NBC|NBC's]] ''[[Today Show]]'', President Obama said her remarks were "offensive" and "out of line", and called her retirement "the right decision". He said that it was a "shame" her celebrated career had to end in such controversy, and at the same time he recognized her long service covering U.S. presidents, calling her "a real institution in Washington."<ref name="usatoday1">{{cite news |url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2010/06/obama-calls-helen-thomas-comments-offensive/1 |title=Obama calls Helen Thomas' comments "offensive" |author=Mimi Hall |date=June 8, 2010 |publisher=USA Today |accessdate=June 12, 2010}}</ref> Her comments also garnered rebukes from numerous others, including White House Press Secretary [[Robert Gibbs]], former White House Press Secretary [[Ari Fleischer]], former special counsel to and White House spokesman for President Bill Clinton, [[Lanny Davis]], former Arkansas Governor [[Mike Huckabee]], and Hoover Institution senior fellow [[Victor Davis Hanson]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.politico.com/blogs/onmedia/0610/Gibbs_rebukes_Thomas.html?showall |title=Gibbs rebukes Thomas |date=June 7, 2010 |publisher=Politico |author=Patrick Gavin }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Times |first=Arkansas |url=http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/smart-talk-june-17/Content?oid=1205627 |title=Smart Talk, |publisher=Arkansas Times|date=June 17, 2010 |accessdate=June 17, 2010}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web|author=Victor Davis Hanson |url=http://article.nationalreview.com/436085/helen-thomas-turkey-and-the-liberation-of-israel/victor-davis-hanson |title=Helen Thomas, Turkey, and the Liberation of Israel |publisher=National Review |date= |accessdate=June 17, 2010}}</ref><ref name="foxnewscontroversy">{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/06/06/ari-fleischer-helen-thomas-fired/|title=Ex-Spokesmen Lead Charge for White House Reporter Helen Thomas to Be Fired|author=Fox News staff|publisher=Fox News |date=June 6, 2010 |accessdate=June 6, 2010}}</ref> |
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Thomas died on July 20, 2013, at her home in Washington, D.C. at the age of 92.<ref>{{cite web|title=Helen Thomas Dies at 92|url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/sns-rt-dies-helen-thomas-20130720,0,1049734.story|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130720141001/http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/sns-rt-dies-helen-thomas-20130720,0,1049734.story|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 20, 2013|website=The Baltimore Sun|access-date=July 20, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Helen Thomas, pioneering White House journalist, dies at 92|url=http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/07/20/19580304-helen-thomas-pioneering-white-house-journalist-dies-at-92?lite|work=NBC News|access-date= July 20, 2013}}</ref> Thomas was cremated and her ashes were buried in Detroit, following a traditional Antiochian Orthodox funeral service. |
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==Legacy== |
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The President of the [[Society of Professional Journalists]] (SPJ), who said Thomas’s comments were “offensive” and “inexcusable,” said that the Society is considering renaming its Helen Thomas Award for Lifetime Achievement.<ref name="foxnews2">{{cite web|author=Reuters |url=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/06/10/groups-consider-renaming-helen-thomas-awards-controversy/?test=latestnews |title=Groups Consider Renaming 'Helen Thomas' Awards|author=Judson Berger |publisher=FOX News|date=June 10, 2010|accessdate=June 17, 2010}}</ref> Her alma mater, Wayne State University, said it would keep the Helen Thomas Spirit of Diversity in the Media award, while strongly condemning what it called her "wholly inappropriate comments."<ref name="foxnews2"/> |
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Many female journalists memorialized Thomas on Twitter, including [[Judy Woodruff]], who called her a "trailblazer", and [[Lynn Sweet]], who said she was a "glass ceiling breaking journalist".<ref name=nbcnewsobit>{{cite web|url=http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/07/20/19580951-white-house-journalist-helen-thomas-remembered-as-a-trailblazer|title=White House journalist Helen Thomas remembered as a trailblazer|work=NBC News|access-date=July 20, 2013}}</ref> [[Andrea Mitchell]] tweeted that Thomas "made it possible for all of us who followed."<ref>{{cite news|agency=Reuters |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-helen-thomas-obit-20130720,0,4823149.story|title=Helen Thomas: Veteran White House journalist dies at 92|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=July 20, 2013|access-date=July 20, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130720172403/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-helen-thomas-obit-20130720,0,4823149.story|archive-date=July 20, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
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[[Dana Perino]], who served as press secretary to President George W. Bush, remembered that on her first day as press secretary, Thomas approached her to give her words of encouragement.<ref name=nbcnewsobit/> President Obama released a statement calling her "a true pioneer" who "never failed to keep presidents—myself included—on their toes."<ref>{{cite web|author=David Jackson |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/theoval/2013/07/21/obama-helen-thomas-bill-clinton-john-kennedy/2572497/|title=Obama: Helen Thomas broke barriers for women|work=USA Today|date=July 21, 2012|access-date=July 22, 2013}}</ref> |
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[[Hezbollah]] called Thomas' comments "courageous, bold, honest and free opinion," while [[Hamas]] said she had "told the truth."<ref>[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704002104575291341382226952.html Helen Thomas and Peter Beinart] James Taranto, Wall Street Journal, June 7, 2010</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3902922,00.html |title=Hezbollah lauds Helen Thomas |publisher=Ynetnews |date=June 20, 1995 |accessdate=June 17, 2010}}</ref> [[Paul Jay]] criticized the "atmosphere of lynching" that followed Thomas' comments, and [[Ralph Nader]] said she should be reinstated. <ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z_dcD5ebPQ Nader says reinstate Helen Thomas]. ''The Real News Network''. June 12, 2010</ref><ref>[[Paul Jay|Jay, Paul]]. [http://communities.canada.com/shareit/blogs/reality/archive/2010/06/07/in-defense-of-helen-thomas.aspx In Defense of Helen Thomas]. June 07, 2010.</ref> Although he did not defend the substance of her comments, [[Sam Donaldson]], another former White House correspondent, praised Thomas' achievements as an early woman journalist, and said her comments likely reflected the view of many people of Arab descent.<ref name="never shied">{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/07/AR2010060701493.html|title=Helen Thomas never shied from piping up. In the end, that was the problem|author=Howard Kurtz|date=June 6, 2010|accessdate=July 26, 2010|publisher=The Washington Post}}</ref> |
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{{clr}}<!-- tag here for photo spacing; please leave it --> |
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In 2006, Thomas encouraged Arab-Americans to become journalists: "For her own part, Helen Thomas says that, while she’s glad to see Americans of Arab descent winning journalism prizes, she would prefer simply to see more bylines with Arab names. So she has one instruction for newcomers: 'Get into the game!' she says."<ref name=HelenThomas>{{cite journal |author=David Chambers|title=Calling Helen Thomas|journal=Saudi Aramco World|publisher=Saudi Aramco|url=https://archive.aramcoworld.com/issue/200602/calling.helen.thomas.htm|date=April 2006|access-date=12 December 2022}}</ref> |
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==Awards== |
==Awards== |
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Thomas |
Thomas received numerous awards and more than 30 honorary degrees. In 1976, Thomas was named one of the ''[[World Almanac]]'s 25 Most Influential Women in America.<ref>[http://www.amiannoying.com/%28S%285cbrvd55tmoyscm0zjnvqf45%29%29/collection.aspx?collection=11934 25 Most Influential Women [1976].] ''[[World Almanac]].''</ref>'' In 1985, she received the Columbia University Journalism Award.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://journalism.columbia.edu/columbia-journalism-award | title=The Columbia Journalism Award | Columbia Journalism School}}</ref> and in 1984 was honored with the National Press Club Fourth Estate Award.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.press.org/fourth-estate-award-past-recipients | title=Fourth Estate Award - Past Recipients}}</ref> In 2000, Thomas was presented with the Kiplinger Distinguished Contributions to Journalism Award.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://nationalpress.org/awards/kiplinger-distinguished-contributions-to-journalism/ |title = W.M. Kiplinger Distinguished Contributions to Journalism Award}}</ref> |
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In 1986 she received the [[William Allen White#Posthumous honors|William Allen White Foundation Award for Journalistic Merit]] from the [[University of Kansas]].<ref name="honor"/> Thomas received an [[Freedom Forum|Al Neuharth Award for Excellence in the Media]] from the [[Freedom Forum]] in 1991. The [[White House |
In 1986 she received the [[William Allen White#Posthumous honors|William Allen White Foundation Award for Journalistic Merit]] from the [[University of Kansas]].<ref name="honor"/> In 1993, Thomas won the [[Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Arizona State University|title=Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication|date=January 29, 2009|url=https://cronkite.asu.edu/about/walter-cronkite-and-asu/walter-cronkite-award|access-date=November 23, 2016}}</ref> Thomas received an [[Freedom Forum|Al Neuharth Award for Excellence in the Media]] from the [[Freedom Forum]] in 1991. The [[White House Correspondents' Association]] honored her in 1998 by establishing the "Helen Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award". In 2000, her alma mater, [[Wayne State University]], established an award for journalists in her honor, the "Helen Thomas Spirit of Diversity award".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-mi-helenthomas-detro,0,5962872.story|archive-url=https://archive.today/20100616013311/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-mi-helenthomas-detro,0,5962872.story|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 16, 2010|title=Wayne State to keep award named for Helen Thomas|date=June 9, 2010|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|access-date=June 9, 2010}}</ref> In December 2010, the award was discontinued by Wayne State which cited her renewed remarks similar to those in May 2010. Speaking for Wayne State, [[Matthew Seeger]], its interim dean said, that the award is given to promote the importance of diversity in the media and that this award "is no longer helping us achieve our goals."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.freep.com/article/20101203/NEWS/101203051/1319/Wayne-State-pulls-diversity-award-named-after-Helen-Thomas-|title=Wayne State pulls diversity award named after Helen Thomas|author=Lori Higgins|date=December 3, 2010|work=Detroit Free Press|access-date=December 3, 2010}}</ref> In 2007, Thomas received a Foremother Award from the [[National Center for Health Research]].<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.center4research.org/foremother-health-policy-hero-awards/ |title = Foremother and Health Policy Hero Awards Luncheon|date = May 7, 2018}}</ref> |
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In October 2010, the [[Council on American-Islamic Relations]] (CAIR) honored Thomas with a lifetime achievement award.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cair.com/banquet/|title=Defining Our Faith, Defending Our Rights|publisher=Council on American-Islamic Relations|access-date=November 16, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101103045840/http://www.cair.com/banquet/|archive-date=November 3, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Helen Thomas receiving lifetime achievement award from CAIR |author=Bridget Johnson|newspaper=The Hill|date=September 18, 2010|url=https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/70476-helen-thomas-receiving-lifetime-achievement-award-from-cair/|access-date=November 16, 2010}}</ref> |
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== Bibliography == |
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*''Listen Up Mr. President: Everything You Always Wanted Your President to Know and Do.'' (with co-author [[Craig Crawford]]) ([[Charles Scribner's Sons]], 2009) ISBN 1-4391-4815-5 |
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*''The Great White House Breakout.'' (with co-author and illustrator [[Chip Bok]]) (Penguin Group, 2008) ISBN 9780803733008 (children's book) |
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*''Watchdogs of Democracy? : The Waning Washington Press Corps and How It Has Failed the Public'' (Charles Scribner's Sons, 2006) ISBN 0-7432-6781-8 |
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*''Thanks for the Memories, Mr. President : Wit and Wisdom from the Front Row at the White House'' (Charles Scribner's Sons, 2003) ISBN 0-7432-0226-0 |
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* ''Front Row at the White House : My Life and Times'' (Scribner, 2000) ISBN 0-684-86809-1 |
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*''Dateline: White House'' ([[Macmillan Publishers|Macmillan]], 1975) ISBN 0-02-617620-3 |
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In April 2012, Thomas received an award from the [[Palestine Liberation Organization]]'s General Mission to the United States. The award was presented by PLO Executive Committee member [[Hanan Ashrawi]] to "recognize Thomas's long career in the field of journalism, during which she defended the Palestinian position every step of the way."<ref>{{cite news|last=Ravid|first=Barak|title=Former White House reporter Helen Thomas honored by Abbas|url=http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/diplomania/former-white-house-reporter-helen-thomas-honored-by-abbas-1.422148|access-date=April 2, 2012|newspaper=Haaretz|date=April 2, 2012}}</ref> |
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== See also == |
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* [[Octavia Nasr]] |
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The [[Society of Professional Journalists]] had an annual award for top journalists named after Thomas but decided to retire the award in 2011. The SPJ executive board initially said it would keep the award after Thomas's May 2010 comments calling for Jews to leave Israel to the Palestinians and return to "Europe, Russia and America," but the board decided to retire the award after Thomas's remarks later in 2010 about the alleged control of the United States by Zionists. Several pro-Thomas individuals in SPJ leadership roles campaigned to have the award reinstated, but the retirement decision was upheld by SPJ's regional leadership that year and by an 85-77 margin at the national SPJ convention, also that year, marking the permanent end of any ties between Thomas and SPJ.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Limor |first=Hagit |last2=Scott |first2=Andrew |date=2011-01-14 |title=SPJ board of directors votes to retire Helen Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award |url=https://www.spj.org/news.asp?ref=1030 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110122015355/https://www.spj.org/news.asp?ref=1030 |archive-date=2011-01-22 |access-date=2023-03-02 |website=Society of Professional Journalists}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-01-17 |title=SPJ Retires Helen Thomas Award |url=https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/spj-retires-helen-thomas-award/1893922/ |access-date=2023-03-02 |website=NBC4 Washington |language=en-US}}</ref> |
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== References== |
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{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}} |
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==Bibliography== |
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== External links == |
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* ''Listen Up Mr. President: Everything You Always Wanted Your President to Know and Do'' (with co-author [[Craig Crawford]];[[Charles Scribner's Sons]], 2009) {{ISBN|1-4391-4815-5}} |
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{{wikiquote}} |
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* ''The Great White House Breakout'' (with co-author and illustrator [[Chip Bok]]; Penguin Group, 2008), {{ISBN|978-0-8037-3300-8}} (children's book) |
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{{commonscat|Helen Thomas}} |
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* ''Watchdogs of Democracy?: The Waning Washington Press Corps and How It Has Failed the Public'' (Charles Scribner's Sons, 2006), {{ISBN|0-7432-6781-8}} |
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* [http://helenthomas.org/ Official website] |
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* ''Thanks for the Memories, Mr. President: Wit and Wisdom from the Front Row at the White House'' (Charles Scribner's Sons, 2003), {{ISBN|0-7432-0226-0}} |
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* {{imdb|0858915|Helen Thomas}} |
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* ''Front Row at the White House: My Life and Times'' (Scribner, 2000), {{ISBN|0-684-86809-1}} |
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* [http://www.cnsnews.com/public/Content/Article.aspx?rsrcid=50445 "Helen Thomas: Not Even Nixon Tried to Control the Media Like Obama"], CNS News |
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* ''Dateline: White House'' ([[Macmillan Publishers|Macmillan]], 1975), {{ISBN|0-02-617620-3}} |
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==See also== |
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* [[Women in journalism and media professions]] |
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==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
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==External links== |
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{{Sister project links|s=no|v=no|b=no|wikt=no}} |
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* {{IMDb name|0858915|Helen Thomas}} |
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* {{Find a Grave|114074403}} |
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* {{C-SPAN|1430}} |
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* {{NYTtopic|people/t/helen_thomas}} |
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* {{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/tv/enoughrope/transcripts/s2296751.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080711200700/http://www.abc.net.au/tv/enoughrope/transcripts/s2296751.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 11, 2008|title=Elders Part 4 – Helen Thomas|website=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] |format=Transcript of Andrew Denton interview with Helen Thomas|date=July 7, 2008}} |
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* {{cite magazine|url=http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200602/calling.helen.thomas.htm|title=Calling Helen Thomas|author=David Chambers|magazine=Saudi Aramco World|volume=57|issue=2|date=March–April 2006|access-date=February 3, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609212839/http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200602/calling.helen.thomas.htm|archive-date=June 9, 2011|url-status=dead}} discusses Thomas impact on younger Arab-American journalists. |
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* [http://www.thenation.com/doc/20031013/thomas "Truth, Fear and War"], speech by Thomas, September 13, 2003. |
* [http://www.thenation.com/doc/20031013/thomas "Truth, Fear and War"], speech by Thomas, September 13, 2003. |
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* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100611134309/http://www.lbjlib.utexas.edu/johnson/archives.hom/oralhistory.hom/ThomasH/ThomasH.asp Oral History Interview with Helen Thomas, from the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library] |
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* [http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200602/calling.helen.thomas.htm "Calling Helen Thomas"] in ''Saudi Aramco World'' (Vol. 57, No. 2); discusses Thomas impact on younger Arab-American journalists. |
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* [http://www.abc.net.au/tv/enoughrope/transcripts/s2296751.htm Andrew Denton interview with Helen Thomas], July 7, 2008 |
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{{IWMF awards}} |
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*[http://www.lbjlib.utexas.edu/johnson/archives.hom/oralhistory.hom/ThomasH/ThomasH.asp Oral History Interview with Helen Thomas, from the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library] |
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{{Michigan Women's Hall of Fame}} |
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*[http://www.radiolive.co.nz/Interview-with-veteran-White-House-correspondent-Helen-Thomas/tabid/506/articleID/14131/Default.aspx RadioLIVE New Zealand interview with Helen Thomas] |
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{{Portalbar|Journalism}} |
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{{Authority control}} |
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Latest revision as of 04:23, 6 May 2024
Helen Thomas | |
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Born | Helen Amelia Thomas August 4, 1920 Winchester, Kentucky, U.S. |
Died | July 20, 2013 Washington, D.C., U.S. | (aged 92)
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Wayne State University (BA) |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1943–2013 |
Known for | Pioneering female reporter; first female member of the White House press corps |
Spouse |
Douglas B. Cornell
(m. 1971; died 1982) |
Helen Amelia Thomas (August 4, 1920 – July 20, 2013)[1] was an American reporter and author, and a long serving member of the White House press corps. She covered the White House during the administrations of ten U.S. presidents—from the beginning of the Kennedy administration to the second year of the Obama administration.
Thomas worked for the United Press and post-1958 successor United Press International (UPI) for 57 years, first as a correspondent, and later as White House bureau manager. She then served as a columnist for Hearst Newspapers from 2000 to 2010, writing on national affairs and the White House. Thomas was the first female officer of the National Press Club, the first female member and president of the White House Correspondents' Association and the first female member of the Gridiron Club. She wrote six books; her last (with co-author Craig Crawford) was Listen Up, Mr. President: Everything You Always Wanted Your President to Know and Do (2009).
Thomas retired from Hearst Newspapers on June 7, 2010, following controversial remarks she made about Israel in an impromptu, unstructured amateur short interview when solicited for "any comments on Israel," she replied, "tell them to get the hell out of Palestine,"[2] leading to accusations of antisemitism.[3] She then served as an opinion columnist for the Falls Church News-Press until February 2012.[4]
Early life and education
Born in Winchester, Kentucky, Thomas was the seventh of the nine children of George and Mary (Rowady) Thomas, immigrants from Tripoli, Lebanon (then part of the Ottoman Empire).[5][6][7] Thomas said her father's surname, "Antonious", was anglicized to "Thomas" when he entered the U.S. at Ellis Island,[6] and that her parents could neither read nor write.[5] Thomas was raised mainly in Detroit, Michigan, where her family moved when she was four years old, and where her father ran a grocery store.[6][8] Of her experience growing up, Thomas said:
We were never hyphenated as Arab-Americans. We were American, and I have always rejected the hyphen and I believe all assimilated immigrants should not be designated ethnically. Or separated, of course, by race, or creed either. These are trends that ever try to divide us as a people.[9]
She also said that in Detroit in the 1920s, she came home crying from school, "They wanted to make you feel you weren't 'American'... We were called 'garlic eaters' ".[8] She was a member of the Antiochian Orthodox Church.[6]
Thomas attended Detroit Public Schools, and decided to become a journalist while attending Eastern High School.[10] She enrolled at Wayne University in Detroit, receiving a bachelor's degree in English in 1942,[11] as the school did not yet offer a degree in journalism.[12]
Early career
Thomas moved to Washington, D.C. Her first job in journalism was as a copygirl for the now-defunct Washington Daily News. After eight months at the paper, she joined with her colleagues in a strike action and was fired.[12]
Thomas joined United Press in 1943 and reported on women's topics for its radio wire service.[13][14] Her first assignments focused her on societal issues, women's news and celebrity profiles.[15] Later in the decade, and in the early fifties, she wrote UP's Names in the News column, for which she interviewed numerous Washington celebrities.[16] In 1955, she was assigned to cover the United States Department of Justice. She later was assigned to cover other agencies, including the United States Department of Health, as well as Capitol Hill.[1]
Thomas served as president of the Women's National Press Club from 1959 through 1960.[1] In 1959, she and a few of her fellow female journalists forced the National Press Club, then barred to women, to allow them to attend an address by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev.[15]
Presidential correspondent
In November 1960, Thomas began covering then President-elect John F. Kennedy, taking the initiative to switch from reporting the "women's angle" to reporting the news of the day.[17] She became a White House correspondent for UPI in January 1961. Thomas became known as the "Sitting Buddha," and the "First Lady of the Press."[18] It was during Kennedy's administration that she began ending presidential press conferences with a signature "Thank you, Mr. President,"[19] reviving a tradition started by UPI's Albert Merriman Smith during the presidency of Franklin Roosevelt.[20]
In a 2008 article, The Christian Science Monitor wrote: "Thomas, a fixture in American politics, is outspoken, blunt, demanding, forceful and unrelenting. Not only does she command respect by the highest powers in the US, her reputation is known worldwide."[21] When Cuban leader Fidel Castro was asked in the early 2000s what was the difference between democracy in Cuba and democracy in the United States, Castro reportedly replied, "I don't have to answer questions from Helen Thomas." Thomas considered Castro's reply to be "the height of flattery."[22]
In 1962, Thomas convinced President Kennedy not to attend the annual dinners held for the White House correspondents and photographers if they disallowed women from attending. President Kennedy moved for the dinners to be combined into one event, with women allowed to attend. In 1970, UPI named Thomas their chief White House correspondent, making her the first woman to serve in the position. She was named the chief of UPI's White House bureau in 1974.[1]
Thomas was the only female print journalist to accompany President Richard Nixon during his 1972 visit to China.[23] During the Watergate scandal, Martha Mitchell, wife of United States Attorney General John N. Mitchell, frequently called Thomas to discuss how the Nixon administration was using Mitchell as a scapegoat.[15]
Thomas circled the globe several times, traveling with every U.S. president from Richard Nixon through Barack Obama. She covered every Economic Summit since 1975, working up to the position of UPI's White House Bureau Chief, a post she would hold for over 25 years. While serving as White House Bureau Chief, she authored a regular column for UPI, "Backstairs at the White House."[24] The column provided an insider's view of various presidential administrations.
In 1975, the Washington Press Corps club, known as the Gridiron Club, admitted Thomas, making her the first woman to become a member. From 1975 through 1976, she served as the first female president of the White House Correspondents' Association.[1]
Thomas was the only member of the White House Press Corps to have her own seat in the White House Briefing Room.[25] All other seats are assigned to media outlets.[25]
In 1979, the Supersisters trading card set was produced and distributed; one of the cards featured Thomas's name and picture.[26]
Departure from UPI
On May 17, 2000, the day after it was announced that the UPI had been acquired by News World Communications Inc., an international media conglomerate founded and controlled by Unification Church leader Reverend Sun Myung Moon which owns The Washington Times and other news media, Thomas resigned from the UPI after 57 years with the organization.[27] She later described the change in ownership as "a bridge too far."[27][28] Less than two months later, she joined Hearst Newspapers as an opinion columnist, writing on national affairs and the White House.[29]
After leaving her job as a reporter at the UPI, Thomas became more likely to air her personal, negative views. In a speech at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she quipped, "I censored myself for 50 years when I was a reporter. Now I wake up and ask myself, 'Who do I hate today?'"[30]
George W. Bush administration
During President George W. Bush's first term, Thomas reacted to Press Secretary Ari Fleischer's statements about arms shipments to the terrorists by asking: "Where do the Israelis get their arms?"
He responded: "There's a difference, Helen, and that is—"
"What is the difference?" she asked.
He responded: "The targeting of innocents through the use of terror, which is a common enemy for Yasser Arafat and for the people of Israel, as well as—"
She interrupted him, saying: "Palestinian people are fighting for their land."
He responded: "I think that the killing of innocents is a category entirely different. Justifying killing of innocents for land is an argument in support of terrorism."[31]
In January 2003, following a speech at a Society of Professional Journalists banquet, Thomas told an autograph seeker, "I'm covering the worst president in American history." The autograph-seeker was a sports writer for The Daily Breeze and her comments were published. After that she was not called upon during a press conference for the first time in over four decades. She wrote to the President to apologize.[32]
For many years, Thomas sat in the front row and asked the first question during White House press conferences. However, according to Thomas in a 2006 Daily Show interview, this ended because she no longer represented a wire service.[33] During the Bush administration, Thomas was moved to the back row during press conferences; she was called upon at briefings on a daily basis but no longer ended presidential news conferences by saying, "Thank you, Mr. President." When asked why she was seated in the back row, she said, "They didn't like me. . . . I ask too many mean questions."[34]
On March 21, 2006, Thomas was called upon directly by President Bush for the first time in three years. Thomas asked Bush about the War in Iraq:
I'd like to ask you, Mr. President, [about] your decision to invade Iraq . . . Every reason given, publicly at least, has turned out not to be true. My question is: Why did you really want to go to war? . . . You have said it wasn't oil . . . quest for oil, it hasn't been Israel, or anything else. What was it?
Bush responded by discussing the War on Terror, stating as a reason for the invasion that Saddam Hussein chose to deny inspectors and not to disclose required information.[35]
In July 2006, she told The Hill, "The day Dick Cheney is going to run for president, I'll kill myself. All we need is another liar . . . I think he'd like to run, but it would be a sad day for the country if he does."[36]
At the July 18, 2006, White House press briefing, Thomas remarked: "The United States . . . could have stopped the bombardment of Lebanon. We have that much control with the Israelis . . . we have gone for collective punishment against all of Lebanon and Palestine." Press Secretary Tony Snow responded: "Thank you for the Hezbollah view."[37]
In a press conference on November 30, 2007, Thomas questioned White House Press Secretary Dana Perino as to why Americans should depend on General David Petraeus in determining when to re-deploy U.S. troops from Iraq. Perino began to answer, when Thomas interjected with "You mean how many more people we kill?" Perino immediately took offense, responding:
Helen, I find it really unfortunate that you use your front row position, bestowed upon you by your colleagues, to make such statements. This is a...it is an honor and a privilege to be in the briefing room, and to suggest that we, the United States, are killing innocent people is just absurd and very offensive.[38]
Refusing to back down, Thomas responded immediately by asking Perino if she knew how many innocent Iraqis had been killed and then questioned the worth of regret when Perino responded that the administration regretted the loss of all innocent Iraqi lives.[39]
Obama administration
On February 9, 2009, Thomas was present in the front row for newly elected President Obama's first news conference. President Obama called on her with the statement, "Helen. I'm excited, this is my inaugural moment,"[41] seemingly a reference to her long-term presence in the White House Press Corps.[42] Thomas asked if he knew of any Middle Eastern country that possessed nuclear weapons, implicitly asking him to confirm or deny Israel's alleged nuclear arsenal, despite Israel's long held stance of "nuclear ambiguity". Obama replied that he did not want to "speculate" on the matter.
On July 1, 2009, Thomas commented on the Obama administration's handling of the press, "we have had some control but not this control. I mean I'm amazed, I'm amazed at you people who call for openness and transparency and you have controlled...".[43][44][45]
On August 4, 2009, Thomas celebrated her 89th birthday. President Obama, whose birthday is on the same day, presented Thomas with birthday cupcakes and sang Happy Birthday to her before that day's press conference.[46]
Comments on Israel
Rabbi David Nesenoff of RabbiLive.com, on the White House grounds with his son and a teenage friend[47] for a May 27, 2010, American Jewish Heritage Celebration Day,[48] interviewed Thomas for an unscheduled short conversation as she was leaving the White House via the North Lawn driveway.[49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57] When solicited for "any comments on Israel," she replied, "tell them to get the hell out of Palestine" and: "Remember, these people are occupied and it's their land. Not German [sic], it's not Poland." Then he asked: "Where they should go? What do they do?". To which she responded: "They go home." He follows-up with: "Where's the home?". She replies back with "Poland, .." but in the middle of her answer, he adds to his question: "So the Jews..", she adds: "...Germany." He finishes off: "...should go back to Poland and Germany?" To which she finally responds: "And America and everywhere else. Why push people out of there who have lived there for centuries? See?" An about two-minutes long full cut of the May 27, 2010, interview was posted on Nesenoff's YouTube channel on June 7.[53]
In a later interview on CNN, on The Joy Behar Show, Thomas defended her comments. In response to Behar's question of whether she was an antisemite, Thomas replied: "Hell no! I'm a Semite, of Arab background." She then said of Israelis: "They're not Semites."[58]
In addition, Thomas said in the CNN interview: "Why do they [Jews] have to go anywhere? They aren't being persecuted! They don't have the right to take other people's land."[58][59] When asked if she regretted the comment, she said: "We have organized lobbyists in favor of Israel, you can't open your mouth. I can call the president of the United States anything in the book, but you say one thing about Israel and you're off limits."[58]
Following the controversy, The Executive Committee of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) voted to recommend that the organization retire the Helen Thomas Award for Lifetime Achievement, which had been awarded since 2000. After her initial comments, the committee decided not to act, as it was "a one-time, spontaneous remark for which she apologized", but acted after she reiterated it.[60][61]
On June 4, Thomas posted the following response on her website: "I deeply regret my comments I made last week regarding the Israelis and the Palestinians. They do not reflect my heart-felt belief that peace will come to the Middle East only when all parties recognize the need for mutual respect and tolerance. May that day come soon."[62][63][64]
Resignation
Thomas's agency, Nine Speakers, Inc., immediately dropped her as a client because of her remarks.[65][66] In a statement, they said "Ms. Thomas has had an esteemed career as a journalist, and she has been a trailblazer for women, helping others in her profession, and beyond. However, in light of recent events, Nine Speakers is no longer able to represent Ms. Thomas, nor can we condone her comments on the Middle East."[67] Craig Crawford, who co-authored Listen up, Mr. President, said "I ... will no longer be working with Helen on our book projects."[68] Her scheduled delivery of a commencement speech at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Maryland, was canceled by the school.[69] The White House Correspondents' Association, over which she once presided, issued a statement calling her remarks "indefensible".[70] In January 2011, the Society of Professional Journalists voted to retire the Helen Thomas Award for Lifetime Achievement.[50][71]
On June 7, Thomas abruptly tendered her resignation from Hearst Newspapers.[50] The next day, in an interview on NBC's Today Show, President Obama called her remarks "offensive" and "out of line" and said her retirement was "the right decision." He remarked that it was a "shame" her celebrated career had to end in such controversy, and at the same time he recognized her long service covering U.S. presidents, calling her "a real institution in Washington".[72] Her comments also garnered rebukes from numerous others, including White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer, former special counsel to and White House spokesman for President Bill Clinton, Lanny Davis, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Hoover Institution senior fellow Victor Davis Hanson.[62][73][74][75]
Thomas did have defenders who felt she was being attacked too harshly, including former presidential candidate Ralph Nader, Fox News contributor Ellen Ratner, former UPI managing editor Michael Freedman and The Nation editor and publisher Katrina vanden Heuvel. Nader said there was a "double standard" where one "off-hand 'ill-conceived remark'" (quoting NPR ombudsman Alicia Shepard) ended Helen Thomas' career while "ultra-right wing radio and cable ranters" engaged in "bigotry, stereotypes and falsehoods directed wholesale against Muslims, including a blatant antisemitism against Arabs" keep getting rewarded with "enhanced careers and fat lecture fees."[76]
In an October 2010 radio interview with Scott Spears of WMRN, Thomas said she realized soon after making the comments that she would be fired, stating, "I hit the third rail. You cannot criticize Israel in this country and survive." She added that she issued an apology because people were upset, but that ultimately, she still "had the same feelings about Israel's aggression and brutality."[77][78]
Last years
2010 speech and comments about Jews and Zionists
On December 2, 2010, shortly before a speech for the eighth annual "Images and Perceptions of Arab Americans" conference in Dearborn, Michigan, Thomas told reporters that she still stood by the comments she had made to Nesenoff. Referring to her resignation, she said "I paid a price, but it's worth it to speak the truth."[79][80][81] During the speech, Thomas said: "Congress, the White House, Hollywood and Wall Street are owned by Zionists. No question, in my opinion."[79][82] Thomas defended her comments on December 7, telling Scott Spears of Marion, Ohio radio station WMRN, "I just think that people should be enlightened as to who is in charge of the opinion in this country."[83]
The next day, the Anti-Defamation League called for journalism schools and organizations to rescind any honors given to Thomas. The organization said that Thomas had "clearly, unequivocally revealed herself as a vulgar antisemite" in the speech.[84] Wayne State University in Detroit discontinued the Helen Thomas Spirit of Diversity in Media Award, which it had been granting for more than ten years, citing what it called her antisemitic remarks.[79] Thomas objected, saying that "the leaders of Wayne State University have made a mockery of the First Amendment and disgraced their understanding of its inherent freedom of speech and the press."[85] Asked by the Detroit Free Press how she would respond to people who say she is antisemitic, Thomas responded: 'I'd say I'm a Semite. What are you talking about?'"[86]
Thomas was interviewed for the April 2011 issue of Playboy magazine, and made further contentious statements.[87] When asked "Do you actually think there’s a secret Jewish conspiracy at work in this country [the US]?", Thomas replied, "Not a secret. It’s very open."[87]
Subsequent employment
Thomas was employed as a columnist by the Virginia Falls Church News-Press from January 2011 to January 2012, contributing a few sporadic columns in the free weekly paper.[88] Owner-Editor Nicholas Benton repeatedly defended the decision to hire her despite her comments.[89] He said in 2011 that he was "outraged" when the Society of Professional Journalists voted on retiring a scholarship award named for Thomas.[90] Benton defended Thomas from antisemitism by saying that Thomas "is herself a Semite" and was "expressing a political point of view [in the interview with Nesenoff above], and not a bigoted racial sentiment."[91]
Personal life
Thomas described herself as a liberal.[15] For most of her adult life, she chose her work over her personal life.[92] At age 51, Thomas married a colleague, Douglas Cornell, who was just retiring as the White House reporter for the Associated Press.[12] Four years later, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and she cared for him until his death in 1982.[92]
Death
Thomas died on July 20, 2013, at her home in Washington, D.C. at the age of 92.[93][94] Thomas was cremated and her ashes were buried in Detroit, following a traditional Antiochian Orthodox funeral service.
Legacy
Many female journalists memorialized Thomas on Twitter, including Judy Woodruff, who called her a "trailblazer", and Lynn Sweet, who said she was a "glass ceiling breaking journalist".[95] Andrea Mitchell tweeted that Thomas "made it possible for all of us who followed."[96]
Dana Perino, who served as press secretary to President George W. Bush, remembered that on her first day as press secretary, Thomas approached her to give her words of encouragement.[95] President Obama released a statement calling her "a true pioneer" who "never failed to keep presidents—myself included—on their toes."[97]
In 2006, Thomas encouraged Arab-Americans to become journalists: "For her own part, Helen Thomas says that, while she’s glad to see Americans of Arab descent winning journalism prizes, she would prefer simply to see more bylines with Arab names. So she has one instruction for newcomers: 'Get into the game!' she says."[98]
Awards
Thomas received numerous awards and more than 30 honorary degrees. In 1976, Thomas was named one of the World Almanac's 25 Most Influential Women in America.[99] In 1985, she received the Columbia University Journalism Award.[100] and in 1984 was honored with the National Press Club Fourth Estate Award.[101] In 2000, Thomas was presented with the Kiplinger Distinguished Contributions to Journalism Award.[102]
In 1986 she received the William Allen White Foundation Award for Journalistic Merit from the University of Kansas.[19] In 1993, Thomas won the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism.[103] Thomas received an Al Neuharth Award for Excellence in the Media from the Freedom Forum in 1991. The White House Correspondents' Association honored her in 1998 by establishing the "Helen Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award". In 2000, her alma mater, Wayne State University, established an award for journalists in her honor, the "Helen Thomas Spirit of Diversity award".[104] In December 2010, the award was discontinued by Wayne State which cited her renewed remarks similar to those in May 2010. Speaking for Wayne State, Matthew Seeger, its interim dean said, that the award is given to promote the importance of diversity in the media and that this award "is no longer helping us achieve our goals."[105] In 2007, Thomas received a Foremother Award from the National Center for Health Research.[106]
In October 2010, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) honored Thomas with a lifetime achievement award.[107][108]
In April 2012, Thomas received an award from the Palestine Liberation Organization's General Mission to the United States. The award was presented by PLO Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi to "recognize Thomas's long career in the field of journalism, during which she defended the Palestinian position every step of the way."[109]
The Society of Professional Journalists had an annual award for top journalists named after Thomas but decided to retire the award in 2011. The SPJ executive board initially said it would keep the award after Thomas's May 2010 comments calling for Jews to leave Israel to the Palestinians and return to "Europe, Russia and America," but the board decided to retire the award after Thomas's remarks later in 2010 about the alleged control of the United States by Zionists. Several pro-Thomas individuals in SPJ leadership roles campaigned to have the award reinstated, but the retirement decision was upheld by SPJ's regional leadership that year and by an 85-77 margin at the national SPJ convention, also that year, marking the permanent end of any ties between Thomas and SPJ.[110][111]
Bibliography
- Listen Up Mr. President: Everything You Always Wanted Your President to Know and Do (with co-author Craig Crawford;Charles Scribner's Sons, 2009) ISBN 1-4391-4815-5
- The Great White House Breakout (with co-author and illustrator Chip Bok; Penguin Group, 2008), ISBN 978-0-8037-3300-8 (children's book)
- Watchdogs of Democracy?: The Waning Washington Press Corps and How It Has Failed the Public (Charles Scribner's Sons, 2006), ISBN 0-7432-6781-8
- Thanks for the Memories, Mr. President: Wit and Wisdom from the Front Row at the White House (Charles Scribner's Sons, 2003), ISBN 0-7432-0226-0
- Front Row at the White House: My Life and Times (Scribner, 2000), ISBN 0-684-86809-1
- Dateline: White House (Macmillan, 1975), ISBN 0-02-617620-3
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e "Helen Thomas Fast Facts". CNN.com. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
- ^ Horn, Heather (June 7, 2010). "Helen Thomas Retires After Telling Israelis to 'Go Home'". The Atlantic. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
- ^ Jeremy W. Peters (June 7, 2010). "Reporter Retires After Words About Israel". The New York Times. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
- ^ "Editor Calls for Media Correction: Helen Thomas Retired in 2012, Not 2010". July 22, 2013.
- ^ a b "Elders with Andrew Denton – episode 4: Helen Thomas". Abc.net.au. July 7, 2008. Archived from the original on June 21, 2010. Retrieved June 17, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Helen Thomas (May 3, 2000). Front Row At The White House: My Life And Times (link to Ch. 1). Simon & Schuster. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
I was born in Winchester on August 4, 1920, the seventh of nine surviving children -- Katharine, Anne, Matry, Sabe, Isabelle, Josephine, myself, Barbara and Genevieve. My older brother Tommy was killed when he was twelve in a terrible accident when... A wall... collapsed on the roof of the theater during a blizzard, killing 115 people inside.
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ignored (help) - ^ Helen Thomas (1975). Dateline: White House. Macmillan. ISBN 0-02-617620-3.
- ^ a b Gregory Orfalea (November 2005). The Arab Americans: a history. Interlink Pub Group Inc. ISBN 1-56656-597-9. Retrieved June 20, 2010.
- ^ Hugh Downs (September 3, 2002). My America: what my country means to me by 150 Americans from all walks of life. Simon & Schuster. p. 238. ISBN 978-0-7432-3369-9. Retrieved March 14, 2011.
- ^ Encyclopædia Britannica staff. "Helen Thomas (American journalist)". Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved June 20, 2010.
- ^ CBS News and AP (May 16, 2000). "Helen Thomas Quits UPI". CBS News. The Associated Press. Retrieved March 13, 2011.
- ^ a b c "Profile: Newswoman Helen Thomas". MLive.com. June 7, 2010. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
- ^ BBC staff (May 16, 2000). "Veteran journalist quits White House". BBC News. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
- ^ Kayyali (December 2005). The Arab Americans. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 157. ISBN 978-0-313-33219-7. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
- ^ a b c d "Helen Thomas, iconic White House correspondent, dies at 92 - The Middletown Press : Serving Middletown, CT". The Middletown Press. Associated Press. July 21, 2013. Archived from the original on July 21, 2013. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
- ^ Thomas, Helen. Dateline: White House. Macmillan, 1975, page xiii.
- ^ NPR staff (July 13, 2000). "Helen Thomas, Consumer Advocate". NPR. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
- ^ "A Helen Thomas Message to Americans in the Era of Trump" (Transcript). realpresidentdonaldtrump. March 13, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ a b Pittsburgh Press staff (June 24, 1985). "Helen Thomas honored". The Pittsburgh Press. p. A2. Retrieved June 12, 2010.
- ^ Mike Allen (February 20, 2007). "Helen Thomas Moving Back After 46 Years Down Front". Politico. Retrieved June 12, 2010.
- ^ Jimmy Orr (August 16, 2008). "Helen Thomas featured on HBO special". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
- ^ "NOW with Bill Moyers" (Transcript). PBS. January 16, 2004. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
- ^ UPI staff (February 8, 1972). "Nixon's China Trip Journalists Chosen". The Pittsburgh Press. UPI. p. 8. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
- ^ Helen Thomas (March 11, 1980). "Backstairs At The White House". Nashua Telegraph (New Hampshire). UPI. p. 7. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
- ^ a b "The West Wing" (PDF). whitehouse.gov. November 24, 2009. p. 18 – via National Archives.
A plaque on each seat displays the name of the news organization to which it is assigned, except for one. Front and center is a chair reserved for Helen Thomas, a matriarch of the White House Press Corps that has covered every President since John F. Kennedy.
- ^ Wulf, Steve (March 23, 2015). "Supersisters: Original Roster". Espn.go.com. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ a b Stout, David (May 17, 2000). "Helen Thomas, Washington Fixture, Resigns as U.P.I. Reporter". The New York Times. Retrieved March 7, 2008.
- ^ Greg Winter (July 10, 2000). "Helen Thomas Is Back as a Columnist With Hearst". The New York Times. Retrieved April 15, 2008.
- ^ AP staff (July 6, 2000). "Helen Thomas joins Hearst as a columnist". The Free-Lance Star (Fredericksburg, VA). Associated Press. Retrieved June 12, 2010.
- ^ Susan Stewart (August 17, 2008). "Just a Few More Questions, Ms. Thomas". The New York Times. Retrieved June 12, 2010.
- ^ Ari Fleisher (March 1, 2005). Taking Heat: The President, The Press And My Years In The White House. Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0-06-074762-6. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
- ^ Ann McFeatters (Summer 2006). "Thank 'You', Ms. Thomas". Ms. Magazine. Retrieved June 12, 2010.
- ^ "Helen Thomas". The Daily Show. June 27, 2006. Comedy Central. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
- ^ "Five Minutes With: Helen Thomas". Campus Progress. Center for American Progress. February 28, 2006. Archived from the original (Interview) on June 13, 2010. Retrieved June 12, 2010.
- ^ "Press Conference of the President". whitehouse.gov. March 21, 2006. Retrieved June 12, 2010 – via National Archives.
- ^ Albert Eisele (July 28, 2006). "Reporter: Cheney's Not Presidential Material". The Hill. Archived from the original on November 13, 2006.
- ^ Lynn Sweet (July 18, 2006). "Tony Snow: On Lebanon-Not calling for cease fire if it leaves status quo intact". Lynn Sweet: The scoop from Washington. Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on October 17, 2011. Retrieved June 12, 2010.
- ^ White House Office of the Press Secretary (November 30, 2007). "Press Briefing by Dana Perino and Mark Dybul, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator". whitehouse.gov. Retrieved June 12, 2008 – via National Archives.
- ^ "When The Press Presses Perino - Couric & Co". CBS News. December 7, 2007. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
- ^ Cook, Dave.; Orr, Jimmy.Obama shares a birthday and a smooch with Helen Thomas. The Christian Science Monitor. August 4, 2009.
- ^ NBC News, February 9, 2009
- ^ Jeff Zeleny (February 10, 2009). "New Media Breaks in, but Tradition Lives On". The New York Times.
- ^ "White House Reporters Grill Gibbs Over 'Prepackaged' Questions for Obama". CSPAN-2. July 1, 2009. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved July 2, 2009.
- ^ Kim LaCapria (July 2, 2009). "Helen Thomas calls Obama administration out on social media smokescreen". The Inquisitr. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
- ^ Daniela Sicuranza; Stephen Clark (July 1, 2009). "White House Disputes Criticism That Health Care Town Hall Meeting Is Staged". FOX News. Archived from the original on August 3, 2009. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
- ^ Jimmy Orr, Obama sings Happy Birthday to himself (and Helen Thomas), The Christian Science Monitor, August 4, 2009.
- ^ Ron Kampeas, Little-known rabbi brings down Helen Thomas Archived November 30, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, June 8, 2010.
- ^ AFP staff reporter (June 9, 2010). "Hezbollah lauds Helen Thomas". YNetNews. Retrieved June 17, 2010.
- ^ JTA staff (June 7, 2010). "Helen Thomas quits". Washington DC: Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
- ^ a b c Berger, Judson (June 10, 2010). "Groups Consider Renaming 'Helen Thomas' Awards". FOX News. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
- ^ Timothy Bolger (June 16, 2010). "L.I. Rabbi Faces Blowback for Helen Thomas Expose". Long Island Press. Archived from the original on June 19, 2010. Retrieved June 17, 2010.
- ^ Sam Youngman; Emily Goodin (June 7, 2010). "Helen Thomas quits after Israel remarks". The Hill. Archived from the original on June 11, 2010.
- ^ a b Nesenoff, David (June 7, 2010). Helen Thomas Complete (original) (Videotape). Interviewed Helen Thomas. RabbiLive.com. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved July 3, 2021. (recorded May 27, 2010)
- ^ BBC News staff (June 7, 2010). "US reporter Helen Thomas quits over Israel comments". BBC News. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
- ^ Jon Ward (June 13, 2010). "Why we'll miss Helen Thomas". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
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- ^ Amy Goodman (June 8, 2010). "Veteran White House Reporter Helen Thomas Retires After Israel Remarks" (Transcript). Headlines. Democracy Now!.
- ^ a b c Helen Thomas: Jews Didn't Have to Leave Europe Following Holocaust Haaretz Service February 18, 2011
- ^ "'I'm anti-Zionist,' Helen Thomas declared, in twilight of long career". MondoWeiss. July 21, 2013.
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- ^ a b Fox News staff (June 6, 2010). "Ex-Spokesmen Lead Charge for White House Reporter Helen Thomas to Be Fired". Fox News. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
- ^ Natasha Mozgovaya (June 5, 2010). "Jews should leave Palestine and return to Europe, top U.S. journalist says". Haaretz. Retrieved June 12, 2010.
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- ^ Helen Thomas: Thrown to the wolves, Danny Schechter, Aljazeera, December 28, 2010
- ^ (Video of her full speech can be seen here.)
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- ^ a b MacNicol, Glynnis (March 18, 2011). "In An Interview With Playboy Helen Thomas Doubles Down On Claims Congress, White House, Hollywood, And Wall Street Are Owned By 'Zionists'". Business Insider. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
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{{cite news}}
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- ^ "Editorial: Helen Thomas' Moral Victory". Archived from the original on October 19, 2011. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
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- ^ "Helen Thomas, pioneering White House journalist, dies at 92". NBC News. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
- ^ a b "White House journalist Helen Thomas remembered as a trailblazer". NBC News. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
- ^ "Helen Thomas: Veteran White House journalist dies at 92". Chicago Tribune. Reuters. July 20, 2013. Archived from the original on July 20, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
- ^ David Jackson (July 21, 2012). "Obama: Helen Thomas broke barriers for women". USA Today. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
- ^ David Chambers (April 2006). "Calling Helen Thomas". Saudi Aramco World. Saudi Aramco. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
- ^ 25 Most Influential Women [1976]. World Almanac.
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- ^ "W.M. Kiplinger Distinguished Contributions to Journalism Award".
- ^ Arizona State University (January 29, 2009). "Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication". Retrieved November 23, 2016.
- ^ "Wayne State to keep award named for Helen Thomas". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. June 9, 2010. Archived from the original on June 16, 2010. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
- ^ Lori Higgins (December 3, 2010). "Wayne State pulls diversity award named after Helen Thomas". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved December 3, 2010.
- ^ "Foremother and Health Policy Hero Awards Luncheon". May 7, 2018.
- ^ "Defining Our Faith, Defending Our Rights". Council on American-Islamic Relations. Archived from the original on November 3, 2010. Retrieved November 16, 2010.
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- ^ Ravid, Barak (April 2, 2012). "Former White House reporter Helen Thomas honored by Abbas". Haaretz. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
- ^ Limor, Hagit; Scott, Andrew (January 14, 2011). "SPJ board of directors votes to retire Helen Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award". Society of Professional Journalists. Archived from the original on January 22, 2011. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
- ^ "SPJ Retires Helen Thomas Award". NBC4 Washington. January 17, 2011. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
External links
- Helen Thomas at IMDb
- Helen Thomas at Find a Grave
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Helen Thomas collected news and commentary at The New York Times
- "Elders Part 4 – Helen Thomas". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. July 7, 2008. Archived from the original (Transcript of Andrew Denton interview with Helen Thomas) on July 11, 2008.
- David Chambers (March–April 2006). "Calling Helen Thomas". Saudi Aramco World. Vol. 57, no. 2. Archived from the original on June 9, 2011. Retrieved February 3, 2011. discusses Thomas impact on younger Arab-American journalists.
- "Truth, Fear and War", speech by Thomas, September 13, 2003.
- Oral History Interview with Helen Thomas, from the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library