Hero of Journalism

Hero of Journalism

     On July 20th, 2013, the day journalist Helen Thomas passed away, President Obama released a statement, calling Helen Thomas “a true pioneer”. It is not common for a president to comment on the death of a reporter, but Helen Thomas was far more than merely a reporter; she was a hero. The veteran journalist worked for the United Press and United Press International for 57 years. During her long career, she “never failed to keep presidents on their toes”(Obama, 2013). Her work led females to follow, inspired people, and protected the rights of the public, marking her as a hero.


      Helen Thomas helped break down the gender barriers for women in journalism. In her days, Thomas went to extraordinary lengths to succeed in the sexist world where journalism was a male-dominated field and women had no equal rights as men. In 1959, the National Press Club barred women as members. She led her fellow female journalists, fought for admission, and forced the National Press Club to allow them to attend. She was the first woman to write about presidents and wrote aggressively about politics, in addition, the first woman in some previously male-only positions in the National Press Club and White House(Sullivan, 1993). These accomplishments in journalism would surprise and dismay any journalist—whether male or female. Helen fought against conventional wisdom about female journalists, earning herself as well as other female journalists an equal position with male journalists. Her pioneering career experiences have inspired the female journalists after her, and many females have followed her steps, fighting against sexism and making marvelous achievements. As Tollefson(1993) writes, that “The hero lives a life worthy of imitation”, Helen Thomas was a role model for female journalists and all other females who work under sex discrimination, and women admire her and imitate her, which makes her a hero.

     Miriam Polster remarks in “Eve’s Daughter”(2001): “Heroes are individuals of great mental courage.” Helen Thomas dared to challenge the powerful, and her fearless courage inspired people, which associates Helen with heroism. As a reporter, the questions Helen pointed were always aggressive and that agitated several presidents. Although many of people have questions and dissatisfaction toward government and leaders, few people ever stand up and question them. However, Helen Thomas took the risk of displeasing the powerful and never hesitated to ask the questions that might get her in trouble. As a result, Thomas was no longer sitting in the front row in the presidential press conferences during the Bush administration (Wikipedia). "They didn’t like me...I ask too mean questions"(2006), she said in an interview for Campus Progress. But nothing ever stopped her, she just kept asking hard questions to the presidents as she always did. People are always inspired by great courage, thus what Helen Thomas was heroism.


      As a reporter, Thomas harbored integrity to reveal the truth and she consistently pursued the truth to protect public’s right to know about their government. She revealed what would have been concealed from public; what federal officials would rather keep in secret. Instead of playing the role as the advocate for current nation’s leader and government, she chose to stay in the same boat with the common people and speak for them, questioning the presidents as a representative of the public.“We are the only institution in our society that can question a president on a regular basis and make him accountable,” she told author Kay Mills for a 1996 Modern Maturity article. “Otherwise, he could be king.” One of the jobs for a reporter is to tell public the truth they deserve to know, Helen Thomas knew that. She not only did a great job as a reporter, but also as a reporter with honesty and conscience to do practical work for people—that is what makes her a hero.


     In the past, women were believed not to set foot in hard news. Thomas broke down the gender barrier and did admirable work, going beyond what other people think is possible, all of above characteristics are portrayed as heroism according to Polster(2001). Additionally, Thomas's fearless spirit and great courage of her inspire people. Moreover, she earned profound respect from presidents to ordinary people for her insistence to tell the truth. The above heroic characteristics makes Helen Thomas undoubtedly a hero.

References

Sullivan, P. Journalist Helen Thomas dies at 92; journalist was the feisty scourge of presidents. Retrieved from                                                http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/helen-thomas-feisty-scourge-of-presidents-dies-at-92/2013/07/20/82285f4e-f145-11e2-a1f9-ea873b7e0424_story.html

Wikipedia: Helen Thomas. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Thomas

Tollefson, T.(1993, May/June ). People Who Make Changes: Is a Hero Really Nothing but a Sandwich? Uten Reader.

Polster, M. (2001). Eve’s Daughter. Gestalt Journal Press.

Jackson, D. Obama: Helen Thomas broke barriers for women Retrieved from

http://www.usatoday.com/story/theoval/2013/07/21/obama-helen-thomas-bill-clinton-john-kennedy/2572497/