Jump to content
Washington Football Team Logo
Extremeskins
Forum Rules and Guidelines

WP: Helen Thomas Retires after controversial remarks about Israel

NavyDave

By NavyDave
in The Tailgate

Recommended Posts

NavyDave

NavyDave

Posted
Posted

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2010/06/gibbs-helen-thomas-remarks-off.html

Updated 12:50 p.m.

By Anne E. Kornblut

Veteran White House reporter Helen Thomas announced Monday that she is retiring, effective immediately, in the wake of a controversy over her comments on Israel, according to a report from her employer, Hearst News Service.

Thomas told a rabbi at a White House event last week that Jews should "get the hell out of Palestine" and go back to Germany and Poland.

"I deeply regret my comments I made last week regarding the Israelis and the Palestinians," Thomas said in a statement on her Web site. "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."

Thomas's comments provoked sharp criticism within the close-knit world of White House reporters, and drew a rebuke from the White House podium Monday. With her seat conspicuously empty at the daily briefing, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs assailed Thomas for her words.

"Those remarks were offensive and reprehensible," Gibbs said, noting that Thomas has apologized. Her sentiments "do not reflect certainly most of the people here and certainly not those of the administration."

Thomas, 89, who has covered the White House for decades, canceled a speech over the weekend and was dropped by a speakers' bureau that represented her. The controversy comes at a precarious moment in the Middle East, after an Israeli assault on an aid flotilla that left 11 dead and prompted an international outcry.

The Board of the White House Correspondents Association also issued a statement Monday calling her comment "indefensible."

The full WHCA statement follows:

Helen Thomas' comments were indefensible and the White House Correspondents Association board firmly dissociates itself from them. Many in our profession who have known Helen for years were saddened by the comments, which were especially unfortunate in light of her role as a trail blazer on the White House beat.

While Helen has not been a member of the WHCA for many years, her special status in the briefing room has helped solidify her as the dean of the White House press corps so we feel the need to speak out strongly on this matter.

We want to emphasize that the role of the WHCA is to represent the White House press corps in its dealings with the White House on coverage-related issues. We do not police the speech of our members or colleagues. We are not involved at all in issuing White House credentials, that is the purview of the White House itself.

But the incident does revive the issue of whether it is appropriate for an opinion columnist to have a front row seat in the WH briefing room. That is an issue under the jurisdiction of this board. We are actively seeking input from our association members on this important matter, and we have scheduled a special meeting of the WHCA board on Thursday to decide on the seating issue.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
DixieFlatline

DixieFlatline

Posted
Posted

It was clearly time. She switched to being a columnist a few years ago, so even though she was showing her colors in the briefing room, people could say she didn't have to be objective. But I don't know of any other opinion writer that had that type of access and to me felt like it change the dynamic of the press conferences.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Predicto

Predicto

Posted
Posted
It was clearly time. She switched to being a columnist a few years ago, so even though she was showing her colors in the briefing room, people could say she didn't have to be objective. But I don't know of any other opinion writer that had that type of access and to me felt like it change the dynamic of the press conferences.

I agree. She used her seniority to her advantage. It is time that it ended.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ibarramedia

ibarramedia

Posted
Posted
Wow, What great luck that she was retireing just after a gaff like that!

Otherwise she would have had to resign in shame or even be fired.

I don't know her entire body of work but it is better for her to retire than to be summarily fired and wasting her entire tenure there because of one stupid mistake. Not defending her or being an apologist but just seeing it froma different point of view. If that was any of us I guess we would be SOL.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
SnyderShrugged

SnyderShrugged

Posted
Posted
I don't know her entire body of work but it is better for her to retire than to be summarily fired and wasting her entire tenure there because of one stupid mistake. Not defending her or being an apologist but just seeing it froma different point of view. If that was any of us I guess we would be SOL.

I think you mightve missed my sarcasm. (s'ok happens all the time):)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
thebluefood

thebluefood

Posted
Posted
In the movie Munich, with Eric Bana and Daniel Craig, there was a great line that Daniel Craig said after their first assasination.

"Don't **** with the Jews"

Helen, you clearly broke that rule

If there's one thing history's taught us, it's that. Yet, people continue to do it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Burgold

Burgold

Posted
Posted
I don't b uy her excuse that she made a mistake. She was LAUGHING as she was saying those comments. She thought it was funny. Good riddance.

No, she believed it and her apology wasn't aimed at saying she was wrong, but aimed at saying she didn't mean to offend.

Still, the woman gave the public thirty years of good service in keeping the public informed. Frustrated as I am by this thought she had, we can afford to blink.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
SnyderShrugged

SnyderShrugged

Posted
Posted
No, she believed it and her apology wasn't aimed at saying she was wrong, but aimed at saying she didn't mean to offend.

Still, the woman gave the public thirty years of good service in keeping the public informed. Frustrated as I am by this thought she had, we can afford to blink.

She did go the old "I'm sorry you got mad" route in this.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Veretax

Veretax

Posted
Posted
No, she believed it and her apology wasn't aimed at saying she was wrong, but aimed at saying she didn't mean to offend.

Still, the woman gave the public thirty years of good service in keeping the public informed. Frustrated as I am by this thought she had, we can afford to blink.

hrms... That's an interesting take on that. So you believe that she said it just had no clue it would offend, or just didn't care to weigh her comments before speaking?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Burgold

Burgold

Posted
Posted

I wouldn't say that she didn't weigh her comments, I think she was conscious of what she said... I think she wasn't aware of what kind of backlash would come from them or fully conscious of how viral the works of these little nobodies with a video camera can become. I think she decided to be a smart arse and shock the blink out of him and didn't realize how many could hear her words and what the response to those words would be.

I also think she is still a pretty sharp cookie and still probably smarter than many of us despite some of the impacts of age on her cognitive function. I noted how the apology was carefully written to avoid apologizing for the actual content, but only for the offense caused.

It's like a pro athlete who apologizes for the embarrassment he has caused his team, family and friends, but never apologizes for taking the drugs or doing the act itself. I regret getting caught.

Just my opinion though

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Baculus

Baculus

Posted
Posted

Her remarks cannot be defended (though being Lebanese-American may have influenced her views), but at least she retired, with an apology, and a realization of the affect of what she said.

But I will say this, since Thomas has been attacked as "hyper-partisan" -- I have heard some pretty bad stuff from the "other" side of the political aisle, and I don't see any retiring over there.

I guess only liberal journalists are expected to do the right thing when an error is committed or something outrageous is said, eh?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Veretax

Veretax

Posted
Posted

What conservative said she should retire? None of us that I know of did. I for one thought she should apologize, and perhaps have her pass to the white house revoked for a few weeks in response. It never occurred to me that she might retire, and frankly I think retiring this way is a chickens way out anyways. These people never learn it seems. Say whatever they are thinking, then run from it the moment the public realizes how big a whatever you are for saying it. So they play the Run Away Card!

You act like she retired by principle. I'd argue she retired because of a lack of them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Burgold

Burgold

Posted
Posted

I think I read in the post that Bush's first press sec, Ari Fleischer did. But this was a pretty bi-partisan review.

It was a pretty telling article. In my opinion, it's worth a read.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/04/11/LI2005041100587.html?hpid=topnews

It seems that part of the reason that she felt she could say it is that she has gotten away with saying similar for a long time now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...