Helen Thomas on Her "Resignation" and Middle East

digme

There's no freedom of speech in America.
Have a look at the following video, I'm sure many of you know who this woman is and how she was removed from her job in the white house as a press correspondent for 50 odd years.Does anyone disagree with anything she is saying about isreal?
So many people look up to this woman and here she is telling it like it is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2M1Qo83CoGU

Penn

Can't watch the video yet, but why was she removed from her job? Is it because she's old as ****?

digme

I'm sure you know who she is?
Basically she was asked a few questions by some rabbi who said he wanted to become a journalist outside of the white house,she was only too delighted to advise him on that, then she was asked what she though of isreal, unknown to her she was being filmed and she said that the isrealis should get out of Palestine. Anyway when you are able to watch the video you'll get a better idea than what i can type for you.

humanji

In fairness, she said all Jews should go back to Poland and Germany. It doesn't sound too good, especially coming from someone who is meant to be impartial in reporting White House news.

After her comments, it made sense that the 90 year old should resign as her continued role was untenable.

meglome

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQcQdWBqt14

Here's what she said.

To be fair here since I get the feeling we're talking about Jewish influence in the media, most of the people who have criticised her don't appear to be Jewish.

Thomas's agency, Nine Speakers, Inc., dropped her as a client because of her remarks.[60][61] Craig Crawford, who co-authored Listen up, Mr. President, said "I ... will no longer be working with Helen on our book projects.”[62] Her scheduled delivery of a commencement speech at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Maryland, was canceled by the school.[63] The White House Correspondents' Association, over which she once presided, issued a statement calling her remarks "indefensible".[64] On June 7, Thomas abruptly tendered her resignation from Hearst Newspapers.[65]

On June 8, 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."[66] 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 Governor Mike Huckabee, and Hoover Institution senior fellow Victor Davis Hanson.[56][67][68][69]

The President of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), Kevin Smith, said Thomas’s comments were “offensive” and “inexcusable."[47] Her alma mater, Wayne State University strongly condemned what it called her "wholly inappropriate comments."[47]

Thomas' defenders either defended her comments or tried to put them into what they felt was a proper context. These arguments included the belief that she was completely correct and should not have felt any repercussions (Hezbollah called Thomas' comments "courageous, bold, honest and free opinion," while Hamas said she had "told the truth."[70][71]), that Thomas was only referring to the West Bank when she talked about Israelis getting the hell out of "Palestine", or that her comments could not be explained away but should not erase what she had achieved in her memorable career (Sam Donaldson, another former White House correspondent who did not agree with what Thomas said, praised Thomas' achievements as an early woman journalist, and said her comments likely reflected the view of many people of Arab descent).

And I imagine Hezbollah and Hamas supporting you is probably the kiss of death in the US.

Brown Bomber

humanji wrote: »

In fairness, she said all Jews should go back to Poland and Germany. It doesn't sound too good, especially coming from someone who is meant to be impartial in reporting White House news.

After her comments, it made sense that the 90 year old should resign as her continued role was untenable.

To be fair she was speaking up for human rights.

Maybe that's what she said in the new video, haven't watched it yet.

She said Jews should get out of Palestine and end the occupation. Not out of Israel or anywhere else for that matter.

She didn't just say they should go back to Germany and Poland (holocaust associations), though you wouldn't know that from the mainstream reports - she said Poland, Germany, America and anywhere else they came (to occupied Palestine) from

humanji

Brown Bomber wrote: »

To be fair she was speaking up for human rights.

Maybe that's what she said in the new video, haven't watched it yet.

She said Jews should get out of Palestine and end the occupation. Not out of Israel or anywhere else for that matter.

She didn't just say they should go back to Germany and Poland (holocaust associations), though you wouldn't know that from the mainstream reports - she said Poland, Germany, America and anywhere else they came (to occupied Palestine) from

She may have been speaking of human rights, but she could have said it a lot better and quite possibly shouldn't have been talking about it at all. She is a representative of the White House. She shouldn't be giving personal opinions.

Brown Bomber

humanji wrote: »

She may have been speaking of human rights, but she could have said it a lot better and quite possibly shouldn't have been talking about it at all. She is a representative of the White House. She shouldn't be giving personal opinions.

I agree she could and should have put it a lot better but I think she would still be in a job if she said the Europeans should go home from South Africa for example.

In any case she wasn't speaking as a journalist, she had a camera thrust in her face.

humanji

But it doesn't matter what the context of why and where she said it, it's the fact that she said it as a representative of the White House. It's amazing that it took the White House so long to retire her after that.

Brown Bomber

humanji wrote: »

But it doesn't matter what the context of why and where she said it, it's the fact that she said it as a representative of the White House. It's amazing that it took the White House so long to retire her after that.

I could be wrong on this but my understanding is that she was referring to the illegal Israeli settlers on stolen Palestinian land. I don't get what the problem is with saying they should go back to wherever it is these criminals came from.

Gordon

She was fired from Hearst newspapers, not the White House. She didn't work for the government. afaiu

humanji

Brown Bomber wrote: »

I could be wrong on this but my understanding is that she was referring to the illegal Israeli settlers on stolen Palestinian land. I don't get what the problem is with saying they should go back to wherever it is these criminals came from.

She's meant to be impartial. If she's showing bias, her position is untenable. She is then of no use to the news service.

Gordon wrote: »

She was fired from Hearst newspapers, not the White House. She didn't work for the government. afaiu

I thought she was part of the White House Press corps? Sorry, I'm not sure how that works over there.

Di0genes

Brown Bomber wrote: »

In any case she wasn't speaking as a journalist, she had a camera thrust in her face.

I think after half a century covering the west wing, she'd be used to that.

Di0genes

humanji wrote: »

She's meant to be impartial. If she's showing bias, her position is untenable. She is then of no use to the news service.



I thought she was part of the White House Press corps? Sorry, I'm not sure how that works over there.

The White House press corp are a string of journalists who cover the west wing, The West Wing is incredibly accurate in it's portraitist of it.

Any decent journalist I've met who's done the job, says it's very cool for about the 1st week, and mind numbingly dull every day after.

Mahatma coat

humanji wrote: »

She's meant to be impartial. If she's showing bias, her position is untenable. She is then of no use to the news service.

I'd have to correct you there Humanji, She Showed the 'Wrong Sort of Bias'
Its seems its perfectly acceptable for the People who cover the Whitehouse to display biased opinons so long as they are the 'Right' bias

Di0genes

Mahatma coat wrote: »

I'd have to correct you there Humanji, She Showed the 'Wrong Sort of Bias'
Its seems its perfectly acceptable for the People who cover the Whitehouse to display biased opinons so long as they are the 'Right' bias

Evidence?

meglome

Mahatma coat wrote: »

I'd have to correct you there Humanji, She Showed the 'Wrong Sort of Bias'
Its seems its perfectly acceptable for the People who cover the Whitehouse to display biased opinons so long as they are the 'Right' bias

Funnily I posted a list earlier in the thread of high level people who called for her to go, nearly all were not Jewish.