Helen Thomas Retires

For those who have been watching presidential press conferences over the past many years, Helen Thomas has been a regular fixture. So much so that President Obama on one occasion gave her a cupcake on her birthday. Often sitting in the front row she would ask difficult questions and gained a reputation for being an excellent White House reporter.

All that changed this week, when Helen Thomas made comments that some have considered to be antisemitic. And in the day of YouTube, her comments made on May 27th 2010 have been viewed by many and have led to her resignation on June 7, 2010, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHHokb2QCjg. In response to a question over the simmering conflict in the Middle East, she replied that the jews should go back to Germany, Poland and elsewhere and leave lands that she believes they are just occupying. Obviously, this is not a practical solution as many millions of Jews now live in Israel, and called it their home. Her past comments could also be considered antizionistic, if not outright antisemitic.

It is surprising to see someone who is a well known journalist make such comments. While many believe journalists to be unbiased, an in fact appreciate an unbiased news program, journalists are increasingly making their personal views known. Commentators from the far left, and the far right, such as Rush Limbaugh and Keith Olbermann often dominate cable news programs. Some of the best unbiased reporting has vanished from cable television. More important than the substance of news, has been the viewpoints of talking heads, which appears to dominate the vast majority of news programing.

Though older journalists often still try to maintain an unbiased viewpoint. Older television programs such as Washington Week In Review still provide somewhat unbiased reporting on the week's political events.

While there isn't yet a perfect solution for the situation in the Middle East, comments like Helen Thomas's just inflame the situation. Over the years, Helen Thomas has been granted an extraordinary amount of preferential treatment in the White House briefings, including having her own chair. Other chairs are simply assigned to news organizations. Now the very same president who shares the same August 4th birthday with Helen Thomas, has through the White House press office issued a statement calling her comments " offensive and reprehensible." Now her once admired and lengthy legacy at the White House Press Corps will be tainted.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Thomas

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/07/AR2010060701493.html