• snap judgment

    Helen Thomas: She's Baaack

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  • Our Heroes

    Flattery Will Get You Nowhere With Veteran Reporter Helen Thomas

    Rory Kennedy's documentary about longtime White House correspondent Helen Thomas, Thank You, Mr. President, premiered last night on HBO, and Thomas glowed as the thoughtful, intelligent woman she's widely known to be. Here, she's discussing an interaction with President Richard Nixon during a press conference in the thick of the Watergate controversy. At the beginning of the conference, Nixon congratulates Thomas on becoming the first woman to head UPI's Washington bureau. Thomas was planning on asking Nixon a hardball question, but briefly reconsidered since Nixon had so publicly complimented her. "What would America think?" Helen asked herself. But then she asked herself a more important question: "What are my peers going to think? That flattery will get you everywhere!" Clip above. (Full schedule of other showings here.) More »

    12:00 PM on Tue Aug 19 2008
    By Jessica
    2,000 views, 21 comments

    Latest by paintedlady: I totally read that first sentence as "Cory Kennedy's documentary about longtime...." Imagine!? more »

  • appreciations

    Longtime White House Reporter Helen Thomas Is Critical Of Even Her Own Behavior

    Helen Thomas is considered the Grand Dame of the White House Press Corps, a distinction she earned by covering every President since JFK. Thomas worked for the UPI wire service at the White House from 1961 (when Kennedy took office) until 2000, when she resigned after the Moonies bought it out (she went to work as a columnist for Hearst). Traditionally, she was allotted the first question at every press conference and ended them by thanking the President — shortly after Bush took office, she was moved to the back of the room for most press events and rarely called. They said it was because she went to work as a columnist; she says it's because of her outspoken criticism of Iraq. Either way, Thomas has been sidelined by illness much of the year, but an HBO documentary on her life and career premieres tonight. More »

    12:40 PM on Mon Aug 18 2008
    By Megan
    5,262 views, 23 comments

    Latest by wonky-tonk: Thomas was/is the only White House journalist whose balls weren't/aren't tied in a perpetual string of knots...she is a "true more »

  • clips

    "Excuse Me For A Second," But, Helen Thomas Is An American Patriot

    We're pretty excited about the upcoming HBO documentary Thank You Mr. President: Helen Thomas At The White House, which profiles journalist veteran Helen Thomas, who has been covering the White House since the Kennedy Administration. This evening, Chris Matthews got a sneak peek at the film, which premieres on August 18, as well as an interview with the film's director, Rory Kennedy. Clip above; the entire MSNBC segment, with more footage from the film, can be seen here.


    Related: Thank You Mr. President: Helen Thomas At The White House [HBO] Filmmaker Documents ‘First Lady Of The Press’ [MSNBC]

    6:30 PM on Fri Jul 25 2008
    By Anna
    7,177 views, 51 comments

    Latest by hfree: Love Helen! I was her handler at an event a few years ago where she read off names of journalists more »

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