Helen Thomas

Something happens when we are in a foreign country and hear news about our own country or someone from there, from where we used to be.

Helen Thomas, journalist for Hearst Publications was interviewed, on the phone, by Radio New Zealand, May, 2007. Here are some things I heard that I found inspiring about a true American!

Helen Thompson has been covering the news under 9 presidents in the USA beginning with John F Kennedy. She is a self-declared liberal.

She said getting her start as a woman journalist was easy because at the start of WWII all the men were drafted. She said she will never retire. “Why would I retire? I love my work.” She’s in her 80’s.

Thomas said all administrations are somewhat secretive but (the present) George Bush is more so. As a member of the White House Press Corp her job is to ask the questions. It’s been a year since she asked President Bush a question; her last question was, “Why did you go to war?” Since Bush has not asked her to ask him a question since, (this is how it works) she says she must rely on the other journalists to ask the questions.

Thompson says that she writes a public opinion column, in which she has opinions but is not biased. She’s not an objective reporter, she writes in hopes of influencing people because she is not running for any thing. For example, she writes about why it is wrong to torture. She hopes she can persuade people to also believe it is wrong.

She said George Bush Senior understood foreign policy but was not great domestically. In the first Gulf War Bush knew not to go to Baghdad because there would be a civil war.

Check out her column: helent@hearstdc.com