Dean of White House Press Corps Dead at 92

Helen Thomas reports on President Gerald Ford, 1976

It’s hard to imagine doing nearly the same thing for more than 65 years, and working for only two employers to boot.  No wonder Helen Thomas became such a Washington D.C. institution.

She started work at United Press (later United Press International) during WWII, and joined its White House bureau in 1961 shortly after President John F. Kennedy was inaugurated.

Thomas went on to cover 10 presidents until she resigned from UPI in 2000 – after 57 years of service.  She spent the next 10 years as a political columnist for Hearst newspapers.

Known simply as “Helen” among her colleagues and competitors, Thomas will be remembered for breaking down barriers for women in journalism. She was the first woman to serve as president of the White House Correspondents Association.

She was also the longest serving member of the White House Press Corps – earning her the unofficial title of “dean.”

Her reputation, however, wasn’t built on her tenure alone.  Thomas was known for her often aggressive lines of questioning.

Helen Thomas in 2009. Photo by Rachael Voorhees.

Sitting from the front row, she would pepper presidents and administration officials with various inquiries as she sought to get the truth, and hold leaders accountable.  One press secretary was quoted referring to her questioning as “torture,” and he was one of fans.

Thomas once told a CNN reporter “I have never covered the president in any way other than that he is ultimately responsible.”

She was not without bias; a self-described liberal, she once declared George W. Bush the worst president in history (she was a columnist at the time, and was more free to express her opinion).

In 2010, it was her personal bias that ended her career after making controversial comments about Israel.  Thomas was one of six children born to Lebanese immigrants.  She apologized for the comments, and resigned from Hearst days later.

It was a sad end to a storied career, but her former UPI colleague and current CBS News correspondent Dean Reynolds summed it up nicely.

"I did not agree with her on the Middle East; I thought she was mistaken and short-sighted,” Reynolds said.  “But a lifetime of great work should not be overshadowed by a comment made at an advanced age.”

Her reporting will live on as an inspiration to future journalists.  In an age where “slash and flash” journalism is becoming too common, an old school watch dog like Helen Thomas will be missed.