Helen Thomas Honored for Life Time Achievement In Journalism

Photo Courtesy of the Women's Center at Emory University

>>>Renowned Journalist, Helen Thomas, participated in a video conference on February 8, 2007 to discuss her life time achievements and opinions on where America is heading today.

>>>Thomas has covered every president from John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush, and was a correspondent for United Press International for 57 years. She currently resides as a member of the White House Press Corps.

>>>Thomas had a chance to discuss her career during a video conference with students from George Mason University, the University of Denver, and Pace University. Students were able to ask Thomas questions ranging from she felt about former presidents, to the current situation in Iraq.

>>>In regards to the war in Iraq, Thomas responded that she was not too pleased with the Bush administration's decisions. According to Thomas, it is imperative that we get our soldiers out of Iraq as soon as possible. She also commented that whichever presidential candidate in 2008 promises to relieve our troops, her or she is assured to have her vote.

>>>Thomas believes that President Bush is the reason we are struggling in Iraq currently and that are a lot of unanswered questions he should be accountable for.

>>>“We still don't know why he went into Iraq,” commented Thomas. She also pointed out that Osama Bin Laden was the cause of the tragic events on Sept. 11, 2001, however there has been no evidence of ties between Bin Laden and Iraq.

>>>Thomas also gave advice to students on how to become effective, as well as ethical journalists. Eric Moreno, a student at George Mason University, asked Thomas with all of the sources of information and the possibility of bias in the media, how are we able to determine where the best source of news is from? “Read the straight news stories and form your own opinions,” replied Thomas.

>>>Thomas also commented that today's journalists are not willing to be more adamant when trying to get answers from political leaders.

>>>“You always have to struggle with every president,” explained Thomas. She continued to explained that the politicians are accountable to the people, and it is pertinent for journalists to go through all lengths to discover the truths behind “why.”

>>>Thomas was also quoted on her thoughts about previous presidents she had the opportunity to cover while a correspondent for UPI:

>>>For some articles written by Helen Thomas, please visit the follow sites:

* "What Planet is Cheney Living On?"

* "Bush Acting as Imperial President"

* "Where Are All the Leaders of Faith?"