Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE - Helen Thomas, nationally recognized as a legendary White House reporter, visited the University of Wisconsin-Platteville on March 29. Selected as the 2006 Pioneer Distinguished Lecturer, this woman in her mid-eighties, wizened by years of experience, enraptured the attention of audience members for over 90 minutes during her presentation in Williams Fieldhouse. She enlivened the crowd of over 1,000 with her enthusiasm and energy, bringing them to a standing ovation before even ascending steps to the stage.

Thomas prefaced her presentation by stating she was "honored to be [at UWP] with the future leaders of America." She went on to give a brief overview of her family. As one of nine children from immigrant parents, she was continuously influenced by their encouragement to pursue an education. "They told me education is a passport to a better life and never told me it was a man's world," said Thomas. Early in her career as a young female reporter in Washington D.C., Thomas refused to accept the limits placed on women. In 1959, she demanded permission to attend a Press Club luncheon and for the first time, 30 women were allowed to be present with their male colleagues at a prime time interviewing event. Amidst cheers from the crowd, Thomas proclaimed herself an "unabashed liberal woman, hoping to pick up the punches again for a good fight," and stressed that women can be in any profession while speaking about the struggle for equality between genders.

Aside from plugs for her choice politicians and women's rights, Thomas mentioned some of her favorite experiences at the White House. As a reporter for every administration from Kennedy to today, she had the crowd rolling with laughter as she recapped the best and worst of each President. Thomas spoke with heartfelt emotion about Kennedy, her favorite because of his "inspiring comments giving hope to the people for a better world and all things possible." One of her favorite on the job traveling experiences was going to China with Nixon in 1972 for the breakthrough trip ending 20 years of silence between the two countries. "Every reporter in the nation wanted to be on that trip and I was one of the lucky 87 selected to attend. It was historical and a tremendous breakthrough. Everything was a story from the food we ate to the clothes we wore. The eight day adventure was a goldmine for reporters and we didn't want to sleep for fear of missing something," she said. Asked to comment on the value of her lifelong experiences, Thomas said, "The press are not loved, but respected we hope for following the truth wherever it leads us. It's one of the most difficult things to stand before the United States President and ask why. It's one of the most important questions in my mind. But it's not unpatriotic to ask questions, that's what democracy is all about, asking questions." According to Thomas, the role of the press remains, "to hold public officials accountable for what they do in our name. It's the role of the press to find out what's going on because we cannot have democracy without an informed public." A presidential news conference is the only time when the President can be questioned and held accountable by the people. Between bursts of spontaneous applause, Thomas moved into a question and answer session but warned the crowd, "I've been around politicians, I know how to be evasive."

When asked about the prospect of senator Hillary Clinton running for president in 2008, she replied, "Women dominate at colleges and universities across the country. We can do anything. Women serve as leaders in other countries, so why not here?" Thomas encouraged UWP students to pursue careers in journalism telling them to, "go for it. Even with the long hours and low wages, you'll never be unhappy because you get an education every day and it's one of the most rewarding jobs. It's incredibly exciting." She continued to describe the profession with the cliché, "every day is only as good as your last story." After 57 years working for United Press International and committing to the ethics, standards, fairness, accuracy and honesty of journalism, Thomas now writes a daily opinion column. She currently has three books published with a fourth, "Watchdogs of Democracy?" due out this summer.

Contact: Stephanie Kerber, CPR, (608) 342-1497,kerbers@uwplatt.edu

Prepared by: Rachael Lehr, UWP Public Relations, (608) 342-1194,lehrr@uwplatt.edu