Helen Thomas forced to retire after 67 year career for criticizing Israel

[Daimo Mac, The Blue Light of Hope]

Originally Posted by Krylo

It's not what she said, guys. It's how she said it.

This isn't a hard concept to understand. You don't tell the Jews to go back to Poland, you don't tell the Blacks to go back to Africa, you don't tell the Asians to go back to China/Japan/Korea.

You can say that they're in the wrong, that they need to make concessions. Hell you can even say that Israel shouldn't have been created in the first place and not lose your job as a White House corespondent, but you can't tell an ethnic group to 'go back home'.

I can understand what was said may have been wrong, but what I am having a hard time fathoming is why people single her out when there are others who have said similar things, but have kept there jobs.

[Krylo]

Originally Posted by BitVyper

She didn't really say that though. She got cornered into saying something that was purposely interpretted that way. What she was actually saying was more along the lines that they're an occupying force, not legitimate residents.

She also started with this: “Tell them to get the hell out of Palestine”

Being a White House corespondent means you're expected to act professionally. You don't say "get the hell out" in any official propensity ever. You might go home and tell your husband or kids or friends or whatever that they need to get the hell out, but you don't say it in an official statement.

She acted unprofessionally.

She got canned.

OH WELLS.

EDIT AT MAC: Because Fox News doesn't expect their reporters to act professionally, and probably wouldn't have fired one for doing that.

[Daimo Mac, The Blue Light of Hope]

I am just, shocked at the casual racism that is rampant in the states. I mean, I can only guess that for the most part you guys are an okay bunch, it's just the crazies that get the air time.

I mean in my area, it can be considered fairly conservative, but I don't ever hear people make such disparaging remarks about natives. Aside from the seniors that is, but the group who do say that consists of 4 old white farmers.

[Magus]

Krylo, it wasn't exactly an official propensity for her personal opinion asked by someone from Rabbilive.com, which looks like a conservative super-pro-Israel group. Who knows what they said to her before the video starts? We don't even have the whole thing released yet:

PRESS

May email Rabbi Nesenoff for other contact info


ATTENTION!!!!!!

PART II OF THE HELEN THOMAS INTERVIEW TO COME SOON

SEE AND HEAR more of the infamous interview with

Ms. Thomas coming to this site.

You don’t want to miss it.

I find it hard to say that someone who's been in the business for almost 70 years and is considered by pretty much everyone as being one of the most prestigious people in journalism after covering every president since Eisenhower should be canned over one off-the-cuff remark which wasn't even racist. Your treatment of it as "OH WELLS" doesn't seem to grasp how important it is that someone this respected can be canned for saying one bad thing about Israel that is in line with what millions of other people think as well. What this says about freedom of opinion is stifling to people in journalism.

[Krylo]

Originally Posted by Magus

Krylo, it wasn't exactly an official propensity for her personal opinion asked by someone from Rabbilive.com, which looks like a conservative super-pro-Israel group. Who knows what they said to her before the video starts? We don't even have the whole thing released yet:

Doesn't matter.

She made a comment where it would be recorded, and she would be marked as the lead White House corespondent. If she couldn't maintain her professionalism in the setting she should have removed her self from it--or have retired by now. She's had the job for 67 years, and is 89 years old, after all.

Professionalism doesn't take a break, nor do consequences, just because someone got you riled up before turning on the camera. Nor because you've had the job for awhile.

Your treatment of it as "OH WELLS" doesn't seem to grasp how important it is that someone this respected can be canned for saying one bad thing about Israel that is in line with what millions of other people think as well. You should care more about how freedom of speech is protected in the U.S..

And you should put less emphasis on the Israel.

She'd have likely been fired for making similar remarks about any country or group of people.

[Kim]

I'm agreeing with Krylo on this. When you have a position like that, and have had it for that long, people expect things of you, as well they should. You should be expected to act professionally in any public situation, because it will inevitably reflect on you and how you do your job. Furthermore, someone can be right about something and still say it in a terrible way. Even if you agree with her opinion, how she phrased it was pretty terrible.

[Mr.Bookworm]

Originally Posted by NonCon

I'm agreeing with Krylo on this. When you have a position like that, and have had it for that long, people expect things of you, as well they should. You should be expected to act professionally in any public situation, because it will inevitably reflect on you and how you do your job. Furthermore, someone can be right about something and still say it in a terrible way. Even if you agree with her opinion, how she phrased it was pretty terrible.

I agree that how she phrased it was terrible, but that doesn't mean that their reaction was ludicrously overblown and downright fucking stupid. They called her a racist and bigot for remarks that many would agree with and then fired her. She publicly apologized for those remarks, and that should have been enough, but someone was eating the Doucheflakes that morning.

Also, name to me one single journalist in the history of ever that has never ever blown their professionalism and I will commission a 100 ft. tall solid gold, diamond-studded statue of you to stand in my front yard.

[Kim]

Originally Posted by Mr.Bookworm

I agree that how she phrased it was terrible, but that doesn't mean that their reaction was ludicrously overblown and downright fucking stupid. They called her a racist and bigot for remarks that many would agree with and then fired her. She publicly apologized for those remarks, and that should have been enough, but someone was eating the Doucheflakes that morning.

So public figures can say whatever they want and it'll be A-OK if they apologize? Awesome.

Also, name to me one single journalist in the history of ever that has never ever blown their professionalism and I will commission a 100 ft. tall solid gold, diamond-studded statue of you to stand in my front yard.

This reminds me of the arguments where someone says it's okay that one person did something because someone else got away with the same thing. Doesn't work that way, I'm afraid.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

To be honest if someone told the Iraqis to get the hell out of Kuwait or the Russians to get hell out of Checnya or the Chinese to get the hell out of tibet I can't see it causing a stir. It's different than saying the blacks should go back to Africa because that is racially motivated whereas this is politically motivated.

[Wigmund]

Agree with Krylo and Noncon, what she said was incredibly stupid and should have lead to the White House kindly asking her to step down as head correspondent.

However, what gets me riled about this is the Fox News-led "She's a horrible evil bigot who needs to be fired" parade that turned into "The horrible evil bigot got fired hurray!" party. That's a bit of bullshit on their part and Helen, after her long career, deserved better.