June 7, 2010 - Last month Helen Thomas caused an instant national furor by saying that all Jews should "get the hell out of Palestine" and go back to Poland, Germany, and America and everywhere else."
Thomas, White House correspondent for Hearst Newspapers, quickly felt the wrath of those offended by her insensitive comments. Many called for her resignation and called on the White House to pull her credentials. Today, the 89-year old Thomas announced that she has "retired." Bernie Madoff "retired" too, if you care to stretch the meaning of the word as much as Helen Thomas is doing today.
More likely, I'm guessing, Thomas was summarily fired by Hearst. She made the anti-Israel comments on May 27 at, ironically, the White House Jewish Heritage Celebration. Imagine a reporter saying that all Mexicans should get "the hell out" of the United States at a White House Latino Heritage Celebration - or anywhere else. It was not until last weekend, however, that the video of her making those remarks surfaced on the Internet.
Fox News reports today that Thomas's "retirement" announcement "came after the White House Correspondents Association decried her remarks as 'indefensible' and began to consider whether Thomas should continue to have the privilege of a front-row seat in the briefing room. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs called her remarks 'offensive and reprehensible' on Monday, as other former White House spokesmen called for Thomas to be fired." Full article at Fox... (See Robert Gibbs condemn her remarks in this AP video.)
Former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said that Thomas's remarks were "tantamount to [advocating] religious cleansing." He went on to say that, "when you advocate that people need to be separated on the basis of their religion, and that there's a region in the world in which nobody from a certain religion, no Jew, should live, and she called it 'in Palestine,' this is a reprehensible problem. This is hatred, this is bigotry, this is prejudice." (See Fleischer's comments in this Fox News video.)
Hatred is nothing news for Helen Thomas, and the Left's application of their double standard to her is long standing. In November 2000, Sarah H. Wright wrote a gushy report about Thomas with the title "Journalist Helen Thomas condemns Bush administration" at MIT News (emphasis added):
Veteran journalist Helen Thomas brought the grit and whir of a White House press conference to Bartos Theater on Monday evening, speaking with passion about the media's role in a democracy whose leaders seem eager for war.
Actually, the 82-year-old former United Press International reporter didn't just speak: she surged into her topic, giving everyone present an immediate sense of the grumpy wit and fierce precision that gave her reporting on American presidents Kennedy through Bush II such a competitive and lasting edge.
"I censored myself for 50 years when I was a reporter," said Thomas, who is now a columnist for Hearst News Service. "Now I wake up and ask myself, 'Who do I hate today?'"
Thomas self-described as being hateful, but Sarah H. Wright praised her for "grumpy wit," "fierce precision," and the ability to "surge into her topic." Wright, like other Liberals, finds hatred to be perfectly acceptable - even admirable - provided it's directed at those who are politically opposed to them.
Thomas is - was - the longest serving White House correspondent. She began covering national politics in 1943 with United Press International (UPI), and became a White House correspondent in 1960.
On May 17, 2000, after 57 years with the organization, Thomas resigned from UPI the day after the announcement of its acquisition by News World Communications Inc., a company founded and controlled by Unification Church leader Reverend Sun Myung Moon. She later described the change in ownership as "a bridge too far." (Source)
Apparently, Thomas didn't feel it was "a bridge too far" to work for Hearst, whose corporate ancestry, once upon a time, brought us the Spanish-American War and Yellow Journalism. Hearst, however, seems to have had enough of correspondent/non-reporter Helen Thomas's big mouth and forced her to jump off of her own wobbly bridge.
RELATED:
Helen Thomas: The End Warner Todd Huston, Chicago Now
Helen Thomas, Kinda Like Hitler a Little Bit Chicago News Bench
Why Helen Thomas's Anti-Jew Remarks Were So Bad Chicago News Bench
Helen Thomas Finally Gets The Hell Out
June 7, 2010 - Last month Helen Thomas caused an instant national furor by saying that all Jews should "get the hell out of Palestine" and go back to Poland, Germany, and America and everywhere else."
Thomas, White House correspondent for Hearst Newspapers, quickly felt the wrath of those offended by her insensitive comments. Many called for her resignation and called on the White House to pull her credentials. Today, the 89-year old Thomas announced that she has "retired." Bernie Madoff "retired" too, if you care to stretch the meaning of the word as much as Helen Thomas is doing today.
More likely, I'm guessing, Thomas was summarily fired by Hearst. She made the anti-Israel comments on May 27 at, ironically, the White House Jewish Heritage Celebration. Imagine a reporter saying that all Mexicans should get "the hell out" of the United States at a White House Latino Heritage Celebration - or anywhere else. It was not until last weekend, however, that the video of her making those remarks surfaced on the Internet.
Fox News reports today that Thomas's "retirement" announcement "came after the White House Correspondents Association decried her remarks as 'indefensible' and began to consider whether Thomas should continue to have the privilege of a front-row seat in the briefing room. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs called her remarks 'offensive and reprehensible' on Monday, as other former White House spokesmen called for Thomas to be fired." Full article at Fox... (See Robert Gibbs condemn her remarks in this AP video.)
Former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said that Thomas's remarks were "tantamount to [advocating] religious cleansing." He went on to say that, "when you advocate that people need to be separated on the basis of their religion, and that there's a region in the world in which nobody from a certain religion, no Jew, should live, and she called it 'in Palestine,' this is a reprehensible problem. This is hatred, this is bigotry, this is prejudice." (See Fleischer's comments in this Fox News video.)
Hatred is nothing news for Helen Thomas, and the Left's application of their double standard to her is long standing. In November 2000, Sarah H. Wright wrote a gushy report about Thomas with the title "Journalist Helen Thomas condemns Bush administration" at MIT News (emphasis added):
Veteran journalist Helen Thomas brought the grit and whir of a White House press conference to Bartos Theater on Monday evening, speaking with passion about the media's role in a democracy whose leaders seem eager for war.
Actually, the 82-year-old former United Press International reporter didn't just speak: she surged into her topic, giving everyone present an immediate sense of the grumpy wit and fierce precision that gave her reporting on American presidents Kennedy through Bush II such a competitive and lasting edge.
"I censored myself for 50 years when I was a reporter," said Thomas, who is now a columnist for Hearst News Service. "Now I wake up and ask myself, 'Who do I hate today?'"
Thomas self-described as being hateful, but Sarah H. Wright praised her for "grumpy wit," "fierce precision," and the ability to "surge into her topic." Wright, like other Liberals, finds hatred to be perfectly acceptable - even admirable - provided it's directed at those who are politically opposed to them.
Thomas is - was - the longest serving White House correspondent. She began covering national politics in 1943 with United Press International (UPI), and became a White House correspondent in 1960.
On May 17, 2000, after 57 years with the organization, Thomas resigned from UPI the day after the announcement of its acquisition by News World Communications Inc., a company founded and controlled by Unification Church leader Reverend Sun Myung Moon. She later described the change in ownership as "a bridge too far." (Source)
Apparently, Thomas didn't feel it was "a bridge too far" to work for Hearst, whose corporate ancestry, once upon a time, brought us the Spanish-American War and Yellow Journalism. Hearst, however, seems to have had enough of correspondent/non-reporter Helen Thomas's big mouth and forced her to jump off of her own wobbly bridge.
RELATED:
Helen Thomas: The End Warner Todd Huston, Chicago Now
Helen Thomas, Kinda Like Hitler a Little Bit Chicago News Bench
Why Helen Thomas's Anti-Jew Remarks Were So Bad Chicago News Bench
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