First the video, that led Thomas to go Nuclear:
Transcript:
Gibbs: “… But, again, let’s–How about we do this? I promise we will interrupt the AP’s tradition of asking the first question. I will let you [Chip Reid] ask me a question tomorrow as to whether you thought the questions at the town hall meeting that the President conducted in Annandale—“
Chip Reid: “I’m perfectly happy to—”
Helen Thomas: “That’s not his point. The point is the control–”
Reid: “Exactly.”
Thomas: “We have never had that in the White House. And we have had some, but not– This White House.”
Gibbs: “Yes, I was going to say, I’ll let you amend her question.”
Thomas: “I’m amazed. I’m amazed at you people who call for openness and transparency and—”
Gibbs: “Helen, you haven’t even heard the questions.”
Reid: “It doesn’t matter. It’s the process.”
Thomas: “You have left open—”
Reid: “Even if there’s a tough question, it’s a question coming from somebody who was invited or was screened, or the question was screened.”
Thomas: “It’s shocking. It’s really shocking.”
Gibbs: “Chip, let’s have this discussion at the conclusion of the town hall meeting. How about that?”
Reid: “Okay.”
Gibbs: “I think—“
Thomas: “No, no, no, we’re having it now–”
Gibbs: “Well, I’d be happy to have it now.”
Thomas: “It’s a pattern.”
Gibbs: “Which question did you object to at the town hall meeting, Helen?”
Thomas: “It’s a pattern. It isn’t the question—”
Gibbs: “What’s a pattern?”
Thomas: “It’s a pattern of controlling the press.”
Gibbs: “How so? Is there any evidence currently going on that I’m controlling the press–poorly, I might add.”
Thomas: “Your formal engagements are pre-packaged.”
Gibbs: “How so?”
Reid: “Well, and controlling the public—”
Thomas: “How so? By calling reporters the night before to tell them they’re going to be called on. That is shocking.”
Gibbs: “We had this discussion ad nauseam and—”
Thomas: “Of course you would, because you don’t have any answers.”
Gibbs: “Well, because I didn’t know you were going to ask a question, Helen.
Go ahead.”Thomas: “Well, you should have.”
Reporter: Thank you for your support.
Gibbs: “That’s good. Have you e-mailed your question today?”
Thomas: “I don’t have to e-mail it. I can tell you right now what I want to ask.”
Gibbs: “I don’t doubt that at all, Helen. I don’t doubt that at all.”
After that Helen Thomas went nuclear…With the due respect; the woman went on a tirade. She was quite ticked.
The report from CNSNEWS.COM:
Following a testy exchange during today’s briefing with White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, veteran White House correspondent Helen Thomas told CNSNews.com that not even Richard Nixon tried to control the press the way President Obama is trying to control the press.
“Nixon didn’t try to do that,” Thomas said. “They couldn’t control (the media). They didn’t try.
“What the hell do they think we are, puppets?” Thomas said. “They’re supposed to stay out of our business. They are our public servants. We pay them.”
Thomas said she was especially concerned about the arrangement between the Obama Administration and a writer from the liberal Huffington Post Web site. The writer was invited by the White House to President Obama’s press conference last week on the understanding that he would ask Obama a question about Iran from among questions that had been sent to him by people in Iran.
“When you call the reporter the night before you know damn well what they are going to ask to control you,” Thomas said.
“I’m not saying there has never been managed news before, but this is carried to fare-thee-well–for the town halls, for the press conferences,” she said. “It’s blatant. They don’t give a damn if you know it or not. They ought to be hanging their heads in shame.”
During today’s briefing, Thomas interrupted a back-and-forth between Gibbs and Chip Reid, the White House correspondent for CBS News, when Reid was questioning Gibbs about who was going to decide what questions would be asked of President Obama in a townhall meeting that was scheduled to take place in Annandale, Va., today.
It looks like the media’s honeymoon with the President is over; his free pass just ended. His whole “We cannot pick on him, because he is new, and because he’s black and we might be called racists“, little card just ended today. After this, look for the Press to become more confrontational and start criticizing the President more. The Government, in a free and democratic society cannot control the media, it will bite them in the rear end, if they do. The Obama Administration miscalculated and thought they could control the message, because Obama was black. They thought wrong.
This should be a very, very interesting pattern to follow and watch. I give it 6 months or maybe less and the MSM will be contacting WorldNetDaily for more information on the whole Birth Certificate rumor. This does, of course, poke holes in Bill O’Reilly’s theory that the whole media is controlled by the Liberals and that they’ll never say anything bad about him.
Update: A Big thank you to Free Republic for linking in. Thanks “FromLori”!
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lets hope so.
I agree… Critical Journalism is America.
I have never agreed with Helen about any political position until 7/01/09.
I was thrilled that she stood up against that buffoon of a press secretary and defended her right, as a member of the free press, to participate in open political events.
I absolutely loved her standing up for the Freedom of the Press.
I could also thrash the press secretary for talking down to her like she is a senile retirement home resident.
I have been praying for something to happen to wake up the USA so they can see the dictator we have in the office of president.
I believe Helen woke a bunch of people up yesterday.
I respect her today more than I do all the news agencies (excluding FOX & now CBS) combined.
She has recognized the control that Obama is strangling the truth with and she stood up for the truth.
I hope you can some how get this email to her so she can see that I am grateful, an honored, to have had the privilege of seeing her stand up for freedom and democracy.
I don’t have to agree with her politically; and I don’t; however for the 1st time; I now see why she is so highly regarded in the press.
Helen, you could be the start of desperate effort to save the United States of America from a dictator; an usurper who is trying to bankrupt America so we can’t defend ourselves.
Please, Helen …..don’t stop.
I hear ya Butch. She’s from the old School and She is not going to be bullied by “The One”.
For Helen Thomas to protest speaks VOULMES about the rise of fascism and lack of free press in America. From Aaron Russo to Naomi Wolfe, the warnings have been out there for years.We have signing statements, continuous war, insane taxes baiouts, czars, and the like. This president is the most scary of all, because until HELEN STOOD UP he has been given carte blanche to run roughshod over the Constitution while the press fawns and sighs. We need to clean house and take this country back. The Fourth of July is a good time to start.
Thank you Helen.
Please, do tell me that there will finally be some talk “like this” to enter stage – to disrupt and even keep the show from going on – the one that has been so lavishly prepared (staged) and is presently being PERFORMED but no one seems to be in attendance! Yet, THE SHOW MUST GO ON! AND THIS SHOW WON’T SHUT DOWN FOR LACK OF INTEREST, RATHER, EMPTY SEATS THIS TIME WILL ONLY SERVE TO STRENGTHEN AND LENGTHEN THIS “PLAY”. START SELLING TICKETS! TO DATE THERE HAVE BEEN NO BUYERS. This is one show that truly must be stopped! I’VE KNOWN THIS FOR FIVE YEARS NOW BUT WHO WILL LISTEN? IT WILL TAKE FAR MORE THAN JUST HELEN THOMAS BUT THANK GOD FOR EVEN ONE WHO WILL LIFT UP A VOICE THAT CAN ACTUALLY BE HEARD!