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Wanker of the Day: Helen Thomas

by BooMan
Thu Jul 2nd, 2009 at 12:50:15 PM EST

I generally admire Helen Thomas and I grant her the right to be cantankerous. But she's acting like a whiny-ass-titty-baby with her carrying on about Nico Pitney. Let me remind her of something. The White House didn't call Pitney the night before the press conference and tell him to be prepared to ask a question about Iran the next day. They called him and asked him to ask a question on the behalf of Iranians. They did this because they were reading Nico's streaming reporting of the goings on in Iran and they knew he had contacts on the ground in Tehran. They didn't tell him what kind of question to ask or even tell him to ask his own question. They wanted a question from the Iranian reformers on the ground in Tehran who were being shot at and beaten with truncheons.

If Helen Thomas wants to ask a question, that's fine. But did she have contacts on the ground in Tehran? Was she doing a stellar job of reporting on that conflict?

As much as I admire her, she needs to take a step back and get with the times.

Wanker of the Day: Helen Thomas | 11 comments (11 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Wanker of the Day: Helen Thomas (4.00 / 2)

I personally think the Obama administration is making it abundantly clear they're willing to deal with bloggers and not just the Village.

And that's got them fucking scared.

More at Zandar vs. The Stupid.

by Zandar1 on Thu Jul 2nd, 2009 at 01:51:46 PM EST

Re: Wanker of the Day: Helen Thomas (none / 0)

If you are referring to the Pitney question alone I would agree.

However it is not!

"Reid: "Even if there's a tough question, it's a question coming from somebody who was invited or was screened, or the question was screened.""

While MSM has in general failed the public remember that Helen did criticize WH reporters for their post 911 softball questions of the Bush adm. and his "scripted" Q&As.

While inclusion of those other than MSM is great imo, the method needs work.

From the WP....
"In the stage-managed event, questions for Obama came from a live audience selected by the White House and the college, and from Internet questions chosen by the administration's new-media team. Of the seven questions the president answered, four were selected by his staff from videos submitted to the White House Web site or from those responding to a request for "tweets."

The president called randomly on three audience members. All turned out to be members of groups with close ties to his administration: the Service Employees International Union, Health Care for America Now, and Organizing for America, which is a part of the Democratic National Committee. White House officials said that was a coincidence. "

At the Healthcare Town Hall would the LONE question about "single payer" been so easily dismissed if Obama had not been well prepared with a BS response to a questioner unable to call him on the BS?

by smkngman3 on Fri Jul 3rd, 2009 at 02:53:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Wanker of the Day: Helen Thomas (none / 0)

Maybe its because Nico Pitney is a blogger and not affiliated with a newspaper. Where was Helen Thomas when Jeff Gannon was throwing W softball questions..I think that is the real story.

by americanforliberty on Thu Jul 2nd, 2009 at 01:08:49 PM EST

Re: Wanker of the Day: Helen Thomas (none / 1)

Well, she's old enough that she can be forgiven for reflexively trying to protect her turf as she's known it.

FDR's response to progressive demands: "I agree. Now go out and make me do it."

by DaveW on Thu Jul 2nd, 2009 at 01:28:34 PM EST

Re: Wanker of the Day: Helen Thomas (none / 1)

It's too bad .. because you figure Helen Thomas .. of all people in that room .. would realize the good in what Nico was doing

by Calvin Jones and the 13th Apostle on Thu Jul 2nd, 2009 at 02:15:57 PM EST

Re: Wanker of the Day: Helen Thomas (none / 0)

She probably only believes in the good she is 'doing'.

It really makes sense. She is 84, and she sits front and center. Of course she is likely to resent any young whipper slappers that invades 'her' area. And she probably has not been treated all that well by the 'important' media in that room (behind the scenes, of course).

Just another example of the old (really old, in her case) having difficulty making way for the new once their time nears its end.

Born in 1925! Time to retire.

nalbar

by nalbar (nalbarsatgmaildotcom) on Thu Jul 2nd, 2009 at 03:50:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Wanker of the Day: Helen Thomas (none / 0)

whipper snappers, that is.

nalbar

by nalbar (nalbarsatgmaildotcom) on Thu Jul 2nd, 2009 at 03:51:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Wanker of the Day: Helen Thomas (none / 0)

I stand corrected ....

she is 89.

nalbar

by nalbar (nalbarsatgmaildotcom) on Thu Jul 2nd, 2009 at 07:45:34 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Wanker of the Day: Helen Thomas (none / 0)

This is perhaps the first time it's ever been painful for me to agree with you.

(((Sigh)))

Can't hear ya, Peach!

by AP on Thu Jul 2nd, 2009 at 02:23:14 PM EST

Reporters who have better covered... (none / 0)

...the aftermath of the Iranian elections than Nico Pitney are welcome to feel slighted about the attention that Pitney received. There are no reporters matching that description in the White House pool. In fact there are few reporters matching that description anywhere.

Jim Sciutto or Lara Setrak, both of ABC, have credibility on this issue. I don't hear them taking potshots at the competition. But what has CBS, Thomas' network, done to distinguish themselves?

"Hanging their heads in shame?" Take note, Ms. Thomas. That's what you and the rest of the journalistic establishment ought to be doing while folks like Pitney, Andrew Sullivan and Al Giordano run circles around you. Hanging their heads in shame while wall-to-wall coverage of the death of a pop star eclipses the paltry and late-to-the-party coverage of much more important stories in Iran and Honduras.

by baudelairien on Thu Jul 2nd, 2009 at 09:58:34 PM EST

Correction: Thomas is with Hearst News Service (none / 0)

by baudelairien on Thu Jul 2nd, 2009 at 10:03:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Wanker of the Day: Helen Thomas | 11 comments (11 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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