News-Press Editorial

What an incomparable honor and pleasure it was to have legendary White House correspondent Helen Thomas grace the offices of the Falls Church News-Press as our special guest for our annual Summer Social Mixer last week. We thank her very much for coming.

As a symbol and icon of everything good about American journalism's indispensable role in the exercise of democracy since the days of JFK, Ms. Thomas remains a feisty, proud and penetrating professional journalist to this day and her sharp comments about the current administration, included in her spellbinding remarks that drew a standing ovation from more than 200 guests here last week, reflect both insight and personal and professional courage.

Here is a true role model for youngsters of all ages, and especially for young women oppressed by the ghoulish stereotypes of success seen on the covers of glamour and pop culture magazines. Helen Thomas pioneered the role of women in the heady all-male culture of the White House Correspondents Association and the National Press Club, organizations that forbid the membership of women way too long past the midpoint of the last century. She became not only the first female officer and president of both organizations, but the recognition of her achievements in recent years has led to scholarships and honors in her name presented by both groups.

How many individuals would be willing to risk, and sacrifice, their prominent, veritable celebrity roles in any profession because they could not condone, out of personal conviction, a change in leadership of their organization? Helen Thomas did this when the Moonies bought out United Press International in the 1990s, the organization Thomas worked for throughout her career in the White House since 1961. Given the traditional deference afforded the chief White House correspondents of the Associated Press and UPI – namely, that they sit front row, center, at all press conferences and have the privilege of trading off between them to ask the first and second questions of any press conference – Ms. Thomas' act of social conscience was done at great expense. Instead of asking the first question and then standing, as she so often did, to end press conferences to say, "Thank you, Mr. President," Thomas was banished to the back rows, where she is systematically ignored by the current president. But she still works aggressively, now as a columnist for the Hearst Newspaper chain, and will, God willing, for a long time still.

The News-Press is deeply honored to have brought Helen Thomas to Falls Church, not only in person last week, but as the only newspaper in the greater Washington, D.C., to carry her column in its pages every week. We don't know why that is, but we're more than pleased and determined to continue in that role.