Thursday, June 10, 2010

Press Freedom in America, ask Helen Thomas!

The "sacking" of America's iconic journalist

Read Mana-Mana's Waa, So Powerful!
This again illustrates that although they are separate entities, only a thin line separates the hardline Jews and the Israel state. An so powerful is the Jewish lobby in the west, especially in America, that anyone who says something seemingly unkind about Israel is bound to ultimately left with no choice but to apologise to the Jewish community, not Israel.

Same with those who questioned the holocaust and there have been quite a few.

The irony is that you can say something nasty about the mainly Muslim Middle-east and many things Islam, tear Iran, Iraq, al-Qaeda and the Talban to pieces and the western world doesn't think this is offensive but just one word against the Jews or Israel and they are up in arms.

Israel kills the innocent, imposes a blockade, ignores United Nations' resolutions, keeps nuclear weapons and god knows what else and that is A-ok but Iran has a nuclear programme and a fourth round of sanctions looks to be underway.


Taken from Tok Mummy

Tuesday, 8 June 2010

Veteran Amerian journalist Helen Thomas quits over remarks on Israel

Reporter quits over Israel remark- Aljazeera

Thomas, centre, has covered every US president
since John F Kennedy [AP]

Veteran White House journalist Helen Thomas, who has covered every US president since John F Kennedy, has abruptly retired amid a storm of criticism over her controversial remarks about Israel.

Her retirement on Monday as a Hearst Newspapers columnist came after she was captured on video saying Israelis should "get the hell out of Palestine" and that they should go "home" to Germany, Poland or the United States.

The comments drew widespread condemnation with Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, describing her comments as “offencive and reprehensible”.

Thomas, 89, long considered the dean of the White House press correspondents, apologised for the statements she made on May 27.

In a statement issued over the weekend she said: "I deeply regret my comments I made last week regarding the Israelis and the Palestinians. They do not reflect my heart-felt belief that peace will come to the Middle East only when all parties recognise the need for mutual respect and tolerance. May that day come soon."

Fallout

In depth
A tough questioner and pioneer female journalist

The controversy prompted Thomas to be dropped by her public speaking agency and also led to the cancellation of her plans to deliver a high school commencement address in suburban Washington.

"Helen Thomas announced Monday that she is retiring, effective immediately," Hearst News Service reported. "Her decision came after her controversial comments about Israel and the Palestinians were captured on videotape and widely disseminated on the Internet."

Thomas was absent from Monday's White House briefing, where she has a reserved seat in the centre of the front row.

The White House Correspondents Association called her remarks "indefensible" and, before the announcement of her retirement, scheduled a meeting on whether an opinion columnist should have a front-row seat in the West Wing briefing room.

"Many in our profession who have known Helen for years were saddened by the comments, which were especially unfortunate in light of her role as a trail blazer on the White House beat," the association's board said in a statement.

Thomas became a columnist for the Hearst newspaper chain in recent years after working for decades as a White House correspondent for United Press International.


Read here: Helen Tells Jews to go back.

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