Doubting Thomas

I’m glad Helen Thomas resigned. She had long overstayed her welcome as a White House correspondent. We all deserve to work as long as we are willing and able, but I’ve thought for years that Helen was becoming more ornery than ever. Ornery and not especially tuned into anything but the sound of her own voice.

You can tell how much Helen is loving this

And what’s with this business of reserved seats in the press briefing room anyway? Used to be that the more important members of the press sat up front–the network anchors, New York Times reporters, etc., just as the top fashion editors, from magazines like Vogue and Harpers Bazaar, did at the fashion collections. But isn’t that concept a bit outdated, given the changing dynamics of our media world?

Helen became a force among White House correspondents because she was outspoken and unintimidated in front of those big guys called President. Each year, though, as she was continually lauded, applauded and awarded by her peers, she began to actually believe she was extra special. That’s also what happened to Dan Rather, who was eventually terminated by CBS.

Helen was outspoken one too many times. Even if she believes the Israelis should leave Palestine, she was not behaving according to the ethics of her profession, which say journalists should remain unbiased. For that alone, she deserved to be relieved of her responsibilities.

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0 Responses to “Doubting Thomas”

  1. Susan says:

    Many of us have been distressed for years (years!) both in & out of the Press Club (I mean the literal building) with Helen’s increasingly irascible behavior. I am so sorry she did not know when to retire & write her memoirs. She has a right to say what she wants to, but yes as a journalist she had an obligation to zip it. And if someone hasn’t read/didn’t see/doesn’t know exactly what she said…how can you have an informed opinion? What she said (& the manner in which she said it) was so very ugly, coarse, & vulgar.

    I have had obligations that included being in the same room with Helen for over 23 years, both as a journalist & at Lebanese social functions (w/married-into-family). She embarrassed everyone in the room by her antics but was tolerated as the old auntie who causes scenes & so forth. A few years ago, I started choosing to stay away from more intimate functions as it was simply too much. We’d bring Jewish or Israeli friends & the stress of anticipating what she would say was too stressful.

    What a way to end a career.

    Susan

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    • Geri says:

      Hi Susan,

      Your comment is affirming. I appreciate it.

      Fondly,

      Geri

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  2. Veronica says:

    Helen Thomas was known to be “anti-semitic’ for many years, this most recent comment was finally over the top..it’s too bad this may be what defines her many years of journalism

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  3. Laura Andlauer says:

    I am sorry to have to disagree. I thought Helen Thomas was an icon in the field of women reporters. The history she’s lived through is fascinating. Why should she have to resign and stop being a contributing member of the press. I haven’t read exactly what she said about the situation in Israel and the Palestine people but I don’t think she should have been criticized so much. We live in America and it is our God given right under the Constitution to speak our mind freely.
    got to agree to disagree on this topic Geri.

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    • Geri says:

      Hi Laura,

      I agree, it is our God given right to speak our mind freely, but she should not have done it as a working journalist. She wasn’t a columnist. Now she can be as vocal as she wants.

      Geri

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  4. M says:

    Sad but true. As a news reporter she was professionally obligated to remain objective and unbiased and clearly she stepped over the line. If she wanted to voice her opinion she should have moved on to the talk show circuit or the op-ed page.

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