WP "media critic" Howie Kurtz picks on 85-year-old lady: Helen Thomas

[DeepModem Mom]

Helen's New War
By Howard Kurtz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, July 13, 2006

Helen Thomas has been out of the objectivity business for some time now, so she's entitled to her opinions.

One of those opinions is a rather low estimation of her journalistic colleagues on the Iraq war.

The Hearst columnist has made clear, at one White House briefing after another, that she fiercely opposes the war. One might wonder whether she should be giving brief antiwar speeches in the form of questions, but again, she's a commentator now, not a UPI reporter.

I gather, though, that her critique of the media's performance in 2002 and 2003 is starting to rub some journalists the wrong way. I don't know anyone in the business who thinks the media did a great job of skeptically reporting on the administration during the runup to the war, even though independent evidence of whether Saddam indeed had WMD was hard to come by. But Thomas, who's got a new book called "Watchdogs of Democracy?", goes much farther.

In an interview with Cox News, Thomas says her book is "just sort of a critique - some might say an attack - on the White House press corps, the Pentagon press corps and so forth for laying down on the job. I feel they gave up their one weapon, which is skepticism, in the run-up to the war. And they had plenty, plenty notice that we were going to war - two years, in fact. . . . I was outraged at what I felt was a deafening silence when the reporters should have been asking, 'You want to go to war? Why? Give us the proof.'"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/04/11/LI2005041100587.html

AND HOW LONG HAS HOWIE BEEN "OUT OF THE OBJECTIVITY BUSINESS"???

[jobycom]

1. Somehow, I don't think it's a fair fight. Thomas will kick his ass. nt

[bryant69]

2. I will say that while this article does seem like crap

As long as Thomas chooses to stay in the ring, she's got to put up with people disagreeing with her - her age is irrelevent.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[Bandit]

11. Seems to me he just made her point

She can take care of herself I'm sure

[Maat]

3. I agree - this "objectivity" business is bunk anyway ..

as anyone who has studied psychology knows. We all filter things through our belief system developed through our experiences, and we put things into context.

He's just a Corporatist-butt-kissing-ass (or it seems like it to me).

But I also agree Helen is much more than a match for him.

[Spazito]

4. Oh, Howie, Howie, Howie....

how far down do you plan to go? Attacking Ms. Thomas for telling the truth while you continue to lie for the bush cabal to help your wife's "consulting" business attract repub contracts is even lower than I thought you would go and I thought you were pretty low before.

Pathetic, Howie, really, really pathetic.

[Gabi Hayes]

5. jesus....I just waded through that pile of crap he apparently calls

a column

a column of impacted fecal matter piled upon itself

how on earth does this guy have a JOB?

can someone please answer me on this?

[WI_DEM]

6. Howie, when were you in the objectivity business? your nose is

firmly at Bush's ass. But anyway, Helen can take care of herself especially with a schmuck like Howie.

[Marr]

7. Letting Howie Kurtz handle media criticism is like letting Republicans

investigate Bush Administration corruption. Seriously- Kurtz is a corporate media/GOP stooge. When asked to criticize the media, he levels his guns at one of the only people in the WH Press Corps who ever asks a tough question.

[farmbo]

8. Let's see if Howie will allow HT on "Reliable Sources" to defend herself?

Betcha he doesn't have the guts.

[The_Casual_Observer]

9. According to klutz, it's only objective when you agree with him & jr.

Otherwise it's partisan. Klutz is shit, you could get more objective news by reading pentagon press briefings than from his bullshit column.
I notice he is still making excuses for why he complied with the pentagon to promote the Iraq war.
It's sort of as if he has a guilty conscience.

[Crankie Avalon]

10. Of course he resents her--she is a reminder to him and people like him...

...of their laziness, cowardice, and complacency. How dare she be the lone person to hang in there and remember that the job of the press is to challenge authority and do what it can to keep those in power honest, not suckup and hobknob the way he does.

[rucky]

12. She can make dogmeat outta Howie any time she wants.

I'm not worried about her frailty.

[Nikki Stone 1]

13. Howie: "but again, she's a commentator now, not a UPI reporter."

Nice to negate your own point as you are making it.