Helen Thomas Speaks Her Mind and Loses Her Job
Posted:
06/7/10
Though Helen Thomas spent decades as a press icon, her reputation seems to have been destroyed overnight. I do not condone her remarks, but I do think we should be defending her right to express her opinion, especially when her job was . . . to express her opinion.
For those just catching up, last week, Thomas, the 89-year-old newspaper columnist, White House press corps fixture and trailblazing female journalist said she thought Jews should get out of Palestine. When pressed further, she said they should go "home" to Germany and Poland.
She later issued a statement apologizing for her remarks, but it was too late. On Sunday, she was dropped by her speaking agency, and on Monday, Hearst News announced that Thomas is retiring, effective immediately.
She 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 covered every U.S president from Eisenhower to Obama, paved the way for other women -- and doesn't deserve to exit the public stage this way.
Over the past few days, conservative critics calling for her ouster included Ari Fleischer, the former Bush press secretary; Sarah Palin, the former Republican VP candidate; Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.); and conservative journalist Andrew Breitbart.
As an opinion columnist, it was Thomas' job to get people talking, and she did add to an ongoing dialogue about Israel and Palestine – an issue that needs our attention now more than ever in light of the recent Israeli attacks on ships delivering aid to Palestinians.
Our national discourse has become so highly charged that apparently you can't say anything critical of Israel without being labeled anti-Semitic, though in order to achieve effective policy and an actual peace in the Middle East, we have to be able to talk about the issue without fear of being attacked.
Does Helen Thomas' fall add to intimidation of those who hold dissenting views on the Middle East or other issues? To me, her forced retirement suggests that even opinion columnists still cannot discuss Israel and Palestine openly.
For those just catching up, last week, Thomas, the 89-year-old newspaper columnist, White House press corps fixture and trailblazing female journalist said she thought Jews should get out of Palestine. When pressed further, she said they should go "home" to Germany and Poland.
She later issued a statement apologizing for her remarks, but it was too late. On Sunday, she was dropped by her speaking agency, and on Monday, Hearst News announced that Thomas is retiring, effective immediately.
She 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 covered every U.S president from Eisenhower to Obama, paved the way for other women -- and doesn't deserve to exit the public stage this way.
Over the past few days, conservative critics calling for her ouster included Ari Fleischer, the former Bush press secretary; Sarah Palin, the former Republican VP candidate; Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.); and conservative journalist Andrew Breitbart.
As an opinion columnist, it was Thomas' job to get people talking, and she did add to an ongoing dialogue about Israel and Palestine – an issue that needs our attention now more than ever in light of the recent Israeli attacks on ships delivering aid to Palestinians.
Our national discourse has become so highly charged that apparently you can't say anything critical of Israel without being labeled anti-Semitic, though in order to achieve effective policy and an actual peace in the Middle East, we have to be able to talk about the issue without fear of being attacked.
Does Helen Thomas' fall add to intimidation of those who hold dissenting views on the Middle East or other issues? To me, her forced retirement suggests that even opinion columnists still cannot discuss Israel and Palestine openly.