Veteran reporter Helen Thomas, often called “the First Lady of the press,” criticized the Iraq War in a speech to students yesterday at Stamp Student Union, and said that the press had not challenged the administration’s decisions enough.
“We have no right to be in Iraq,” Thomas said. “You do not spread liberty with the barrel of a gun.”
Thomas was asked to speak at the university by the College Democrats, who requested her to come because she is known for scrutinizing the Bush administration and seeking the truth, said College Democrats President Jonathan Sachs.
“She asks the tough questions,” Sachs said, “and it’s important for college students to understand the importance of doing the same.”
Thomas is best known for her coverage of the White House spanning the past nine presidencies. She is recognized for her straight-shooting reporting style, especially regarding the war in Iraq and for her criticism of the current administration.
Thomas herself was criticized by FOX News and former White House press secretary Tony Snow after a press conference last year during which she demanded Bush’s “real reason” for attacking Iraq.
Shortly afterwards, she was quoted in The Hill, a newsletter covering Congress, as saying, “The day I say Dick Cheney is going to run for president, I’ll kill myself. All we need is one more liar.”
Since 2000, Thomas has worked as a columnist for Hearst Newspapers, where she freely voices her opinion on current issues, namely the Bush Administration’s handling of Iraq. Before that, she had been the White House bureau chief for United Press International, a wire service that owns The Washington Times, for 26 years. She started reporting for UPI in 1943.
During her speech, Thomas continually stressed the importance of reading newspapers, adding that she couldn’t imagine a world without them.
Thomas is also a pioneer for women’s rights in the media. As the first woman to attain a leadership position at the National Press Club, she continues to stress the importance of women in journalism. At yesterday’s speech, she said women journalists were still not being paid the same as their male counterparts.
“Journalism has become a women’s field in every way,” she said. “But the battle for women isn’t over yet.”
Thomas now frequently speaks at universities, mainly to encourage students to be more critical of those in power, she said in an interview with The Diamondback.
Of her student audience, she said, “This is their world. They are leaders of the 21st century.”
But young people are too apathetic, Thomas added.
“The whole country is apathetic,” she said, adding that citizens’ lack of involvement comes from more than just a failure to stay informed. “They are afraid of being called unpatriotic and un-American,” she said.
Even while working as a wire service reporter, she never lost sight of her own beliefs, she said. “I allowed myself to care,” she said. “I never bought out of the human race.”
newsdesk@dbk.umd.edu.
