Helen Thomas: Difference between revisions
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===Comments on Jews in Israel and Allegations of Antisemitism=== |
===Comments on Jews in Israel and Allegations of Antisemitism=== |
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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=2011-11-30 }}, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, June 8, 2010.</ref> for a May 27, 2010, American Jewish Heritage Celebration Day,<ref name=AFPStaff>{{cite web|author=AFP staff reporter|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3902922,00.html|title=Hezbollah lauds Helen Thomas|publisher=YNetNews|accessdate=June 17, 2010|date=June 9, 2010}}</ref> questioned Thomas 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]]|accessdate=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 |accessdate=February 26, 2015}}</ref><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 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100619093307/http://www.longislandpress.com/2010/06/16/l-i-rabbi-faces-blowback-for-helen-thomas-expose/ |archivedate=June 19, 2010 |df= }}</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=https://www.webcitation.org/5qPIVDRlZ?url=http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/101731-helen-thomas-announces-retirement |deadurl=yes |df= }}</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 =June 7, 2010| accessdate =June 17, 2010| deadurl =yes| archiveurl =https://web.archive.org/web/20100612141313/http://www.rabbilive.com/RabbiLIVE/Helen.html| archivedate =June 12, 2010| df =}} (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]]|accessdate=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 |website=The Washington Post |date=June 13, 2010 |accessdate=June 14, 2010}}</ref><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|website=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> When asked for 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. It's not German, it's not Poland..." When asked where Israeli Jews should go, she replied they could "go home" to Poland or Germany or "America and everywhere else. Why push people out of there who have lived there for centuries?" When accused of being an anti-Semite, she responded that she is a Semite, having an Arab background. A one-minute excerpt of the May 27, 2010, interview was posted on Nesenoff's website on June 3.<ref name="rabbilive"/> |
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=2011-11-30 }}, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, June 8, 2010.</ref> for a May 27, 2010, American Jewish Heritage Celebration Day,<ref name=AFPStaff>{{cite web|author=AFP staff reporter|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3902922,00.html|title=Hezbollah lauds Helen Thomas|publisher=YNetNews|accessdate=June 17, 2010|date=June 9, 2010}}</ref> questioned Thomas 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]]|accessdate=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 |accessdate=February 26, 2015}}</ref><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 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100619093307/http://www.longislandpress.com/2010/06/16/l-i-rabbi-faces-blowback-for-helen-thomas-expose/ |archivedate=June 19, 2010 |df= }}</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=https://www.webcitation.org/5qPIVDRlZ?url=http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/101731-helen-thomas-announces-retirement |deadurl=yes |df= }}</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 =June 7, 2010| accessdate =June 17, 2010| deadurl =yes| archiveurl =https://web.archive.org/web/20100612141313/http://www.rabbilive.com/RabbiLIVE/Helen.html| archivedate =June 12, 2010| df =}} (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]]|accessdate=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 |website=The Washington Post |date=June 13, 2010 |accessdate=June 14, 2010}}</ref><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|website=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> When asked for 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. It's not German, it's not Poland..." When asked where Israeli Jews should go, she replied they could "go home" to Poland or Germany or "America and everywhere else. Why push people out of there who have lived there for centuries?" When accused of being an anti-Semite, she responded that she is a Semite, having an Arab background. A one-minute excerpt of the May 27, 2010, interview was posted on Nesenoff's website on June 3.<ref name="rabbilive"/><ref name="Helen Thomas Complete YouTube video">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nc4OeRu7cfs |title=Helen Thomas Complete (original) |publisher=YouTube |accessdate=2011-03-14}}</ref>. On June 4th after being posted by Jeff Dunetz on |
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[http://www.breitbart.com/big-journalism/2010/06/04/helen-thomas-jews-should-get-the-hell-out-of-palestine-and-go-back-to-germany-and-poland/ Breitbart's Big Journalism] [https://lidblog.com/helen-thomas-says-jews-should-get-he/ Lidblog] and Breitbart video, the story and the video went viral. |
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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 anti-Semite, Thomas replied: "Hell no! I'm a Semite, of Arab background." She then said of Jews: "They're not Semites."<ref>[https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/1.5124590 Helen Thomas: Jews Didn't Have to Leave Europe Following Holocaust] Haaretz Service Feb 18, 2011</ref> |
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 anti-Semite, Thomas replied: "Hell no! I'm a Semite, of Arab background." She then said of Jews: "They're not Semites."<ref>[https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/1.5124590 Helen Thomas: Jews Didn't Have to Leave Europe Following Holocaust] Haaretz Service Feb 18, 2011</ref> |
Revision as of 04:11, 4 October 2018
Helen Thomas | |
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![]() Thomas in February 2009 | |
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 (B.A., 1942) |
Occupation(s) | Author, journalist, columnist |
Years active | 1943–2013 |
Known for | Pioneering female reporter; first female member of the White House press corps |
Spouse(s) | Douglas B. Cornell (1971–1982; his death) |
Parents |
|
Relatives | 8 siblings |
Helen Amelia Thomas (August 4, 1920 – July 20, 2013) was an American reporter and author best known for her longtime membership in the White House press corps. She covered the White House during the administrations of ten U.S. presidents—from the start 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 comments she made about Jews, Israel, the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, and her claims that "Congress, the White House, Hollywood and Wall Street are owned by Zionists",[1] that led to numerous allegations of anti-Semitism.[2] She then served as an opinion columnist for the Falls Church News-Press until February 2012.[3]
Early life and education
Born in Winchester, Kentucky, Thomas was the seventh of the nine children of George and Mary (Rowady) Thomas, Lebanese immigrants from Tripoli in what was, at the time, part of the Ottoman Empire (later, the area became Lebanon).[4][5][6] Thomas has said her father's surname, "Antonious", was anglicized to "Thomas" when he entered the U.S. at Ellis Island,[5] and that her parents could neither read nor write.[4] 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.[5][7] Of her experience growing up, Thomas has 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.[8]
She has 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' ".[7] She was a member of the Antiochian Orthodox Church.[5]
Thomas attended Detroit Public Schools, and decided to become a journalist while attending Eastern High School.[9] She enrolled at Wayne University in Detroit, receiving a bachelor's degree in English in 1942,[10] as the school did not yet offer a degree in journalism.[11]
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.[11]
Thomas joined United Press in 1943 and reported on women's topics for its radio wire service.[12][13] Her first assignments focused her on societal issues, women's news and celebrity profiles.[14] 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.[15] 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.[16]
Thomas served as president of the Women's National Press Club from 1959 through 1960.[16] 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.[14]
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]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0e/Gerald_Ford_and_Helen_Thomas_-_USNWR.jpg/250px-Gerald_Ford_and_Helen_Thomas_-_USNWR.jpg)
chief of staff Dick Cheney (left) in 1976
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.[16]
Thomas was the only female print journalist to travel to China with 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.[14]
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.[16]
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 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."[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]
Traditionally, 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 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] Thomas was criticized by some commentators for her exchange with Bush.[36][37][38]
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."[39]
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."[40] Other members of the press weighed in.
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.[41]
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.[42]
Obama administration
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b5/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/220px-thumbnail.jpg)
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,"[44] seemingly a reference to her long-term presence in the White House Press Corps.[45] 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...".[46][47][48] She also said that not even Richard Nixon tried to control the press as much as President Obama.[49]
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.[50]
Comments on Jews in Israel and Allegations of Antisemitism
Rabbi David Nesenoff of RabbiLive.com, on the White House grounds with his son and a teenage friend[51] for a May 27, 2010, American Jewish Heritage Celebration Day,[52] questioned Thomas as she was leaving the White House via the North Lawn driveway.[53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61] When asked for 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. It's not German, it's not Poland..." When asked where Israeli Jews should go, she replied they could "go home" to Poland or Germany or "America and everywhere else. Why push people out of there who have lived there for centuries?" When accused of being an anti-Semite, she responded that she is a Semite, having an Arab background. A one-minute excerpt of the May 27, 2010, interview was posted on Nesenoff's website on June 3.[57][62]. On June 4th after being posted by Jeff Dunetz on Breitbart's Big Journalism Lidblog and Breitbart video, the story and the video went viral.
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 anti-Semite, Thomas replied: "Hell no! I'm a Semite, of Arab background." She then said of Jews: "They're not Semites."[63]
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."[64] 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."[65]
On June 4, Thomas posted the following response on her Web site:
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.[66][67][68]
Resignation
Thomas's agency, Nine Speakers, Inc., immediately dropped her as a client because of her remarks.[69][70] Craig Crawford, who co-authored Listen up, Mr. President, said "I ... will no longer be working with Helen on our book projects."[71] Her scheduled delivery of a commencement speech at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Maryland, was canceled by the school.[72] The White House Correspondents' Association, over which she once presided, issued a statement calling her remarks "indefensible."[73] In January 2011, the Society of Professional Journalists voted to retire the Helen Thomas Award for Lifetime Achievement.[54][74]
On June 7, Thomas abruptly tendered her resignation from Hearst Newspapers.[54] 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."[75] 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.[66][76][77][78]
Thomas also had her share of 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 noted the "double standard" where one off-hand "ill-conceived remark" 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 anti-Semitism against Arabs."[79]
In an October 2011 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."[80]
Later career
2010 speech on
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."[1][81][82] During the speech, Thomas said: "Congress, the White House, Hollywood and Wall Street are owned by Zionists. No question, in my opinion." Video of her full speech can be seen here. [1] 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 anti-Semite" in the speech.[84] Hours later, 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 anti-Semitic remarks.[1] 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 anti-Semitic, Thomas responded: 'I'd say I'm a Semite. What are you talking about?'".[86]
Playboy Interview
Thomas was interviewed for the April 2011 issue of Playboy Magazine, and once again doubled down on her controversial statements. When Thomas was asked if she had a personal antipathy toward Jews themselves, she set out to deny the Jewish connection with the Holy Land and to brand Jews as Arab-hating racists "I think they’re wonderful people. They had to have the most depth. They were leaders in civil rights. They’ve always had the heart for others but not for Arabs, for some reason. I’m not anti-Jewish; I’m anti-Zionist. I am anti-Israel taking what doesn’t belong to it. If you have a home and you’re kicked out of that home, you don’t come and kick someone else out. Anti-Semite? The Israelis are not even Semites! They’re Europeans, and they’ve come from somewhere else. But even if they were Semites, they would still have no right to usurp other people’s land."
The following excerpt comes from that interview: PLAYBOY: That stereotype of Jewish control has been around for more than a century. Do you actually think there’s a secret Jewish conspiracy at work in this country? THOMAS: Not a secret. It’s very open. What do you mean secret? PLAYBOY: Well, for instance, explain the connection between Hollywood and what’s happening with the Palestinians. THOMAS: Power over the White House, power over Congress. PLAYBOY: By way of contributions? THOMAS: Everybody is in the pocket of the Israeli lobbies, which are funded by wealthy supporters, including those from Hollywood. Same thing with the financial markets. There’s total control. And later in the interview; PLAYBOY: In America you’re talking about a relatively small community. Jews make up roughly two percent of the U.S. population. On a worldwide level, the percentage is well under one percent. Those numbers don’t exactly spell domination. THOMAS: I get where you’re leading with this. You know damn well the power they have. It isn’t the two percent. It’s real power when you own the White House, when you own these other places in terms of your political persuasion. Of course they have power. You don’t deny that. You’re Jewish, aren’t you? PLAYBOY: Yes. THOMAS: That’s what I thought. Well, you know damn well they have power.
Subsequent employment
Thomas was employed as a columnist by the Virginia Falls Church News-Press from January 2011 to January 2012.[87] Owner-Editor Nicholas Benton repeatedly defended the decision to hire her despite her controversial comments.[88] He noted in 2011 that he was "outraged" when the Society of Professional Journalists voted on retiring a scholarship award named for Thomas.[89] Benton said 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."[90] From January 2011 to January 2013, Thomas contributed sporadically to the paper. Her few articles during this time period are archived at www.fcnp.com.[citation needed]
Personal life
Thomas described herself as a liberal.[14] For most of her adult life, she chose her work over her personal life.[91] At age 51, Thomas married a colleague, Douglas Cornell, who was just retiring as the White House reporter for the Associated Press.[11] Four years later he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and she cared for him until his death in 1982.[91]
Death
Thomas died on July 20, 2013, at her home in Washington, D.C. at the age of 92.[92][93] 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".[94] Andrea Mitchell tweeted that Thomas "made it possible for all of us who followed."[95] 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.[94] President Obama released a statement calling her "a true pioneer" who "never failed to keep presidents—myself included—on their toes.".[96] Thomas was cremated and her ashes were buried in Detroit, following a traditional Antiochian Orthodox funeral service.
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.[97]
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.[98] Thomas received an Al Neuharth Award for Excellence in the Media from the Freedom Forum in 1991. The White House Correspondent's 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".[99] 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."[100] In 2007, Thomas received a Foremother Award from the National Research Center for Women & Families.
In October 2010, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) honored Thomas with a lifetime achievement award.[101][102]
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."[103]
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.
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 Wayne State ends Helen Thomas Award, UPI 04-12-2010
- ^ Jeremy W. Peters (June 7, 2010). "Reporter Retires After Words About Israel". The New York Times. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
- ^ https://fcnp.com/2013/07/22/editor-calls-for-media-correction-helen-thomas-retired-in-2012-not-2010/
- ^ a b "Elders with Andrew Denton – episode 4: Helen Thomas". Abc.net.au. July 7, 2008. 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.
{{cite book}}
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ignored (help); Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
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- ^ 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. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
- ^ 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. 2013-07-21. Archived from the original on 2013-07-21. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
{{cite news}}
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- ^ a b c d "Helen Thomas Fast Facts". CNN.com. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
- ^ NPR staff (July 13, 2000). "Helen Thomas, Consumer Advocate". NPR. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
- ^ "Journalism icon says Obama can learn from Trudeau – CTV News".[permanent dead link]
- ^ 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). The White House. U.S. Government. November 24, 2009. p. 18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-10-05.
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 (2015-03-23). "Supersisters: Original Roster". Espn.go.com. Retrieved 2015-06-04.
- ^ 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. 27 June 2006. Comedy Central. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
- ^ "Five Minutes With: Helen Thomas". Campus Progress. Center for American Progress. February 28, 2006. Archived from the original (Interview) on 2010-06-13. Retrieved June 12, 2010.
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- ^ Jonah Goldberg: Right invasion, wrong explanation. March 24, 2006.
- ^ MSNBC: Scarborough Country: March 21, 2006.
- ^ MSNBC: The Situation With Tucker Carlson: March 21, 2006.
- ^ Albert Eisele (July 28, 2006). "Reporter: Cheney's Not Presidential Material". The Hill. Archived from the original on November 13, 2006.
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- ^ "When The Press Presses Perino - Couric & Co". CBS News. 2007-12-07. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
- ^ 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. 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.
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- ^ Ron Kampeas, Little-known rabbi brings down Helen Thomas Archived 2011-11-30 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.
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ignored (|url-status=
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{{cite news}}
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suggested) (help) - ^ a b , Rabbi David Nesenoff; Helen Thomas (June 7, 2010). Helen Thomas, Complete Version, (2 minutes) (video). Washington D.C.: RabbiLive.com. Archived from the original on June 12, 2010. Retrieved June 17, 2010.
{{cite AV media}}
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ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) (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.
- ^ Sam Stein (June 4, 2010). "Ari Fleischer: Fire Helen Thomas". The Huffington Post. Retrieved June 5, 2010.
- ^ Amy Goodman (June 8, 2010). "Veteran White House Reporter Helen Thomas Retires After Israel Remarks" (Transcript). Headlines. Democracy Now!.
- ^ "Helen Thomas Complete (original)". YouTube. Retrieved 2011-03-14.
- ^ Helen Thomas: Jews Didn't Have to Leave Europe Following Holocaust Haaretz Service Feb 18, 2011
- ^ Helen Thomas: Jews Didn't Have to Leave Europe Following Holocaust Haaretz Service Feb 18, 2011
- ^ Helen Thomas: Jews Didn't Have to Leave Europe Following Holocaust Haaretz Service Feb 18, 2011
- ^ 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.
- ^ Helen Thomas (June 4, 2010). "Helen Thomas". Archived from the original on June 10, 2010. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
{{cite web}}
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ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Patrick Gavin (June 6, 2010). "Thomas gets dropped by agency". Politico. Retrieved June 12, 2010.
- ^ Kristina Wong (June 6, 2010). "Columnist Draws Fire for Telling Jews 'Go Home'". ABC News. Retrieved June 12, 2010.
- ^ Martina Stewart (June 6, 2010). "Helen Thomas under fire for saying Jews in Israel should go back to Germany, Poland". CNN. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
- ^ Martin Weil (June 7, 2010). "Helen Thomas agrees to bow out as commencement speaker at Walt Whitman High". The Washington Post.
- ^ "Statement issued by the board of the White House Correspondents' Association". June 7, 2010.
- ^ Steele, Micki (January 14, 2011). "Journalism group shelves Helen Thomas award". The Detroit News. Retrieved January 19, 2011.
- ^ Mimi Hall (June 8, 2010). "Obama calls Helen Thomas' comments "offensive"". USA Today. Retrieved June 12, 2010.
- ^ Patrick Gavin (June 7, 2010). "Gibbs rebukes Thomas". Politico. Retrieved January 9, 2011.
- ^ Times, Arkansas (June 17, 2010). "Smart Talk,". Arkansas Times. Retrieved June 17, 2010.
- ^ Victor Davis Hanson. "Helen Thomas, Turkey, and the Liberation of Israel". National Review. Archived from the original (Opinion) on June 14, 2010. Retrieved June 17, 2010.
{{cite web}}
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ignored (|url-status=
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- ^ "Helen Thomas on being anti-Semitic: 'Baloney!'". Associated Press. 12 October 2010. Retrieved 12 October 2010.[dead link]
- ^ "Helen Thomas stands by remarks about Israelis". The Detroit News. 2 December 2010. Retrieved 2 December 2010.
- ^ Helen Thomas: Thrown to the wolves, Danny Schechter, Aljazeera, December 28, 2010
- ^ Warikoo, Niraj (December 9, 2010). "Helen Thomas says Anti-Defamation League is intimidating her". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
- ^ Helen Thomas: 'Congress, White House owned by the Zionists', Jerusalem Post 05-12-2010
- ^ Warikoo, Niraj (December 7, 2010). "Helen Thomas blasts Wayne State University for ending award in her honor". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
- ^ Warikoo, Niraj (December 3, 2010). "Thomas stands by her remarks on Israel". Detroit Free Press.
- ^ FCNP.com staff (2011-01-06). "Veteran Journalist Thomas Resumes Column in News-Press". Falls Church News-Press. Falls Church, VA 22046, US: Falls Church News-Press Online. Archived from the original on 2014-05-29. Retrieved 2015-06-21.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|dead-url=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help)CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ "Veteran Journalist Thomas Resumes Column in News-Press". FCNP. January 6, 2011. Archived from the original on June 29, 2012. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
{{cite web}}
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ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Editorial: Helen Thomas' Moral Victory". FCNP. October 5, 2011. Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
{{cite web}}
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suggested) (help) - ^ "Editorial: Helen Thomas' Moral Victory". Archived from the original on October 19, 2011. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
{{cite web}}
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ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b Neuman, Johanna. "Helen Thomas, pioneering journalist, dies at 92". latimes.com. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
- ^ "Helen Thomas Dies at 92". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on July 20, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
{{cite web}}
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ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "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.
- ^ Reuters 10:55 a.m. CDT, July 20, 2013 (July 20, 2013). "Helen Thomas: Veteran White House journalist dies at 92". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on July 20, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
{{cite news}}
:|author=
has generic name (help); Unknown parameter|dead-url=
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suggested) (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ David Jackson (July 21, 2012). "Obama: Helen Thomas broke barriers for women". USA Today. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
- ^ 25 Most Influential Women [1976]. World Almanac.
- ^ Arizona State University. "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.
{{cite news}}
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ignored (|url-status=
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- ^ "Defining Our Faith, Defending Our Rights". Council on American-Islamic Relations. Archived from the original on 2010-11-03. Retrieved November 16, 2010.
{{cite web}}
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ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Bridget Johnson (18 September 2010). "Helen Thomas receiving lifetime achievement award from CAIR". The Hill. Retrieved November 16, 2010.
- ^ Ravid, Barak (April 2, 2012). "Former White House reporter Helen Thomas honored by Abbas". Haaretz. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
External links
- Helen Thomas at IMDb
- Helen Thomas collected news and commentary at The New York Times
- Template:Worldcat id
- Magda Abu-Fadil (August 4, 2010). "Happy Birthday Helen!". The Huffington Post.
- Michael Sneed (August 3, 2010). "Where is Helen Thomas?". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on August 6, 2010.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - "RadioLIVE New Zealand interview with Helen Thomas" (Audio). RadioLIVE New Zealand. June 15, 2010.
- "Elders Part 4 – Helen Thomas" (Transcript of Andrew Denton interview with Helen Thomas). July 7, 2008.
- David Chambers (March–April 2006). "Calling Helen Thomas". 57 (2). Saudi Aramco World. Archived from the original on 2011-06-09. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help); Unknown parameter|dead-url=
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suggested) (help) 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
- October 2010 Interview of Helen Thomas by Scott Spears[permanent dead link] (WMRN)
- Helen Thomas at Find a Grave
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- American columnists
- American newspaper reporters and correspondents
- American political writers
- 1920 births
- 2013 deaths
- Women columnists
- American journalists of Lebanese descent
- Journalists from Washington, D.C.
- Writers from Kentucky
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- American people of Lebanese descent
- American people of Levantine-Eastern Orthodox Christian descent
- People from Winchester, Kentucky
- United Press International
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- 20th-century American journalists
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