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With audio: National Arab American Journalist Association denounces WSU's move
Action to retire alumna Helen Thomas' diversity award goes against freedom of speech, open dialogue, says organization
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According to the Detroit Free Press, Helen Thomas, arguably Wayne State’s most famous alum, said Zionists controlled U.S. foreign policy and Wall Street.
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The day after Wayne State cut ties with alumna and White House press corps member Helen Thomas by pulling the annual diversity award named after her, the National Arab American Journalists Association denounced the move in a statement issued Dec. 4.
NAAJA coordinator Ray Hanania said in the statement that Zionism was irrelevant to this debate.
“The real issue is free speech,” said Hanania, also a columnist for Creators Syndicate who has written for international newspapers such as The Jerusalem Post. “Is America a nation of (free speech) or has our free speech been compromised by oftentimes vicious and hateful special interest organizations?”
Thomas reportedly made anti-Semitic remarks at an Arab-American media workshop held in Dearborn on Dec. 2. According to the Detroit Free Press, Thomas said Zionists controlled U.S. foreign policy and Wall Street. She also said President Barack Obama and other mainstream journalists “who fear challenging Israel’s influence” in this country were “cowardly.”
Hanania said journalistic and other mainstream organizations should allow an “open and full public discussion of the issues, controversial or not.”
Hanania also referred to Octavia Nasr, a journalist who expressed sympathy for the death of a distanced Hezbollah supporter and left CNN soon afterwards.
“People can say whatever they want about us, and we’re supposed to take it,” he said. “But when somebody expresses an opinion that people don’t like and they’re afraid of, we’re supposed to go away, and I don’t think Helen Thomas should.
“That’s her right to say that. Let’s have a debate about it.”
Hanania said a meeting is being planned for Arab Americans in the community to possibly confront WSU’s decision.
“As far as I’m concerned, no American Arab can look at themselves in the mirror with any sense of dignity if they don’t stand up and defend Helen Thomas’ right to express whatever the hell opinion she wants,” he said. “And the community in Detroit is going to stand up and defend her, and I think Arab American organizations in this organization should stand up and defend her, too.”
Hanania also said mainstream American journalism is being bullied and pressured into censoring pro-Arab and pro-Palestinian free speech. He also said American Arabs have only demanded that the mainstream American news media include their views equally and present them fairly.
“They have not done that,” he said. “Helen Thomas is a perfect example of that lack of professionalism.”
Hanania said NAAJA – which has more than 250 members throughout the country – has a meeting in March, and the Thomas debate will be one of its themes. He said he is talking with NAAJA leaders in six other cities to possibly create an award “to recognize Helen Thomas’ name, to honor her and to honor anybody that stands up and defends the right of free speech.”
WSU announced it would cut the Thomas award on Dec. 3.
“As a public university, Wayne State encourages free speech and open dialogue, and respects diverse viewpoints,” WSU said in a statement. “However, the university strongly condemns the anti-Semitic remarks made by Helen Thomas during a conference yesterday.”
WSU held back on pulling the award after Thomas said Jewish people should “get the hell out of Palestine” and “go home” to “Poland, Germany and America and everywhere else,” during the White House’s Jewish Heritage Day event on May 27.
She resigned shortly after from her position as a columnist for the Hearst News Service. But, at that time, WSU decided her comment was more of a knee-jerk reaction and kept intact the award named after Thomas and given to local and national journalists.
But, yesterday, the university wasted no time in separating itself from Thomas, announcing its intentions less than 24 hours after the comments were printed.
“The decision came from the university after Vice President (of Marketing and Communications) Michael Wright consulted with the Interim Dean of the College, Matthew Seeger,” Ben Burns, head of WSU’s journalism program, said in an e-mail. “It was consistent with the view of the department and the journalism program.”
WSU journalism professor Jack Lessenberry and friend to Thomas for more than 10 years said he understood the university’s decision and said there are no excuses for her remarks.
“Very sad thing to happen at the close of a terrific journalism career,” he said in a phone interview. “I wouldn’t typify it as anti-Semitic … but anti-Israel.”
With Thomas’ comments in May coupled with her latest comment, Lessenberry called it a “very regrettable episode.” But he praised what Thomas had done in the field of journalism and for women in the profession.
Thomas’ curriculum vitae is a list of records: first female officer of the National Press Club, first female member of the Gridiron Club, first female member and president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, UPI news service reporter for 57 years and fearless White House correspondent who covered every president since Eisenhower. In 1998 the White House Press Corps honored her with the Helen Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award.
Thomas was noted as the only White House correspondent who would pursue uncomfortable questions – in the end asking Obama if Iran was the only Middle Eastern country we feared possessing nuclear weapons, a question he did not directly answer – and in the last years of the Bush presidency received applause for her fierce integrity.
According to a 2004 airing of NOW with Bill Moyers, Fidel Castro once said in describing the difference between the United States and communist Cuba, “I don’t have to answer questions from Helen Thomas.”
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24 comments
You know, I am pretty right-leaning and can identify with the Tea Party….usually vote Republican too but I have to say, I agree with Helen’s comments here. A lot of people do but they are afraiid to say anything out loud for fear of losing friends/jobs etc.
congrats Wayne state-
Helen has a right to say what she wants. No award especially for diversity should be named after a hater like her. Hollywood is owned by international conglomorates. The us congress can vorte anyway it wants. The Michegan Muslims are being misled. If we do not stop these Jew hating lies the Muslims will be the next victims of prejudice. As of today Jews in america are 8 times more likely to be vivtims of Hate crimes than american Muslims. (FBI 2010 report onHate crimes) America stop the haters!
“Very sad thing to happen at the close of a terrific journalism career,” he said in a phone interview. “I wouldn’t typify it as anti-Semitic … but anti-Israel.”
Lessenberry is actually a lot worse than Thomas if you think abut it here. Thomas talks about a particular group of people who are nominally a US constituency, but Lessenberry is conceding a much more serous point. Is there any other foreign country that is allowed to murder US servicemen and US citizens with total impunity? Is there any other foreign country with this much power over our government? Is there an other prime minister who boasts (as have Bibi and Arik) that they control us? Really, if Thomas’s remarks are anti-Israel, then there should be no problem with them being supposedly anti-Jewish and anti-diversity.
Hollywood is owned by international conglomorates.
Yeah, that’s why they make 12 Holocaust movies a year which nobody watches plus all those anti-Arab action films! Hollywood studios are owned, run, staffed, peopled, directed and benefit from the past innovations of more Jews than any other group; I suppose they are technically “owned” in the not very honest stock market divided ownership sense by a much more diverse group, but this is laughable. There is no ideological diversity in American media and everyone who visits from Europe says so, particularly about this issue.
As of today Jews in america are 8 times more likely to be vivtims of Hate crimes than american Muslims.
This is simply not honest. It is documented that Jews will actually “commit” these for attention or out of their unique cultural understanding of victimhood, but consider the context: the US generally loves Jews. At one painted-swastika incident so many people came out to help that painting-over was restricted to one brushstroke per helper. In modern Germany special legal protections exist. It is simply dishonest to pretend that we are living in 1933. Furthermore, if anything does suggest massive racist state violence, it is The War Against Islam, with its torture chambers, its destruction of the rule of law, its midnight disappearances, its invasions and occupations, its disproportionate group punishment.
The Muslims are the Jews of our time and outdated memes are blinding otherwise intelligent people, with a little help from undisguised intimidation.
Leave it to the student paper, The South End, to ask the RIGHT questions and offer the other side to this story. It took an extra day to get a balanced report, but here it is, posted 28 minutes ago by the paper that I was editor of in 1981.
Wayne State, where I earned my degree, should be ashamed of itself for deleting the Helen Thomas Award. She made some strong remarks at a conference in Dearborn and afterwards was decried for her views. Wrong or not, isn’t she entitled to her own viewpoint?
AOL News, in reporting the story, couldn’t wait to tell us she is 90. Is the inference that she is too old to know what she is saying? Why is nobody else’s age cited in the story? Hmmm.
This is editorializing and a poor excuse for news coverage. It is a deliberate attempt to shade the story.
Thomas is called a “vulgar anti-Semite” by ADL National Director Abraham Foxman. His opinion, which he is entitled to, is that: “Her suggestion that Zionists control government, finance and Hollywood is nothing less than classic, garden-variety anti-Semitism.” Let’s say just for fun that he has a point. If he wanted to be above it all, he should have attacked the WORDS, not the PERSON. This is just common courtesy. One side’s terrorist is another side’s freedom fighter. It’s all in your point of view, yes? Well-trained journalists ask questions like this. Is everyone so caught up in being politically correct to the point where there is only one RIGHT view here?
Finally, it is my OPINION that the people who run Wayne State right now are cowardly. They have overreacted. Where is the due diligence here? Where is the due process? Does Wayne State think only ONE view is allowed?
Ask yourself: Is Helen Thomas truly a threat to anyone? Or is the world such a mess today that nobody is allowed to have a divergent opinion? Where do we live … Nazi Germany?
Whatever happened to: I might not like what you say but I will defend to my death your right to say it.
I learned that at Wayne State, when I was editor of the student daily newspaper.
Apparently at Wayne State today, the rule is: I might not like what you say and if I don’t I don’t give a shit what you did yesterday. Your ass is outta here if I disagree with you. OK, I have to admit I was suspended and fired as editor of The South End a few times, but was ALWAYS returned as editor. The university was wrong THEN and is wrong NOW.
I am so proud of The South End today. The reporting shows this issue is about free speech, and your story drives home the point beautifully. It took student journalists to do the right thing.
Keep it up!
Don’t let the bastards get you down.
Hawke Fracassa
I sadly agree that it is the Muslims that are at the root of most of the worlds problems. Perhaps they can be saved in the name of Jesus Christ and that it is not too late? There seems to be the only other choice for them besides blowing themselves up. Its not really a religion, its a warrior cult built out of the dark ages. They have been in a downhill spiral ever since they came up with algebra.
You can say whatever you want “Congress shall make no laws restricting freedom of speech”. That’s where it ends. What your employer does, or other institutions is quite another matter. I can’t stop you from saying something and I’ll fight to the death your right to say it BUT, if you work for me and run your mouth contrary to my beliefs or embarrass me you’ll be looking for another job. To some extent, Arabs have been demonized, but why is that.? Could is be that although not all Arab Muslims are terrorists almost all terrorists are Arab Muslims? Further, to say that Zionists run the White House, Hollywood etc. is just nonsense. Helen, keep talking, great comic relief.
So it’s okay for Hellen to be a bigot, but a University with an award can’t change their policy? The “Arab-American” can’t have it both ways. The school is a private institution with the freedom to decide EXACTLY what it wants to do with its money.
OK…Here’s a link for all who need to be reminded of how the RELIGION OF PEACE works…
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40490458/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/
Keep in mind, ISLAM is a THEOCRACY.
So, all you “MODERATE” Muslims, please comment on this Cleric’s call to MURDER this woman.
ps: Wonder if he has a 9 year old wife like his fearless leader did???
Helen Thomas is entitled to her opinion and Wayne State is entitled likewise. There’s no free speech issue here.
So Thomas is saying that America is a weak helpless victim of Zionism, which makes the Arabs an even weaker helpless victim of Zionism.
As a Zionist, thanks for the compliment regarding our alleged superiority, but I am curious why so many Americans and Arabs are standing behind being portrayed as weak helpless victims.
Is victimhood a good thing ?
NAAJA is full of it. Substitute the word arab or muslim in Thomas’ remarks and they’d be condemning her and thanking the school. What transparently phony garbage!
Correction: Substitute the word arab or muslim for Jew or Zionist in Thomas’ remarks and they’d be condemning her and thanking the school.
Those on the left who sympathize with Thomas should also tell this gov’t NOT to re-enact the so-called “fairness” doctrine. That, too, is against free speech. Radio stations/TV stations/newspapers, etc. should be able to feature who they want, what the people want, etc. not what our gov’t thinks they should be airing.
This is typical liberal BS. If the lies she spewed had been said about muslims, they would be the first ones out there threatening to riot and screaming bloody murder. The ONLY reason they want to keep this award, is so it can be awarded to the biggest anti-semite!! It’ll become the antisemite award!!
They would NEVER tolerate this kind of crap being said about them. So they’ll brow beat people into feeling guilty or shamed or even scared of them. It’s just so typical of them.
The old woman has always been an antisemite in sheep’s clothing (that smelled like mothballs). After she said what she did the first time, what did she do?? She went out there and LIED about ti! “Oh, that’s not me, I’m sorry.” Now she’s doing it again! YES!! That IS HER! That IS who she is! It’s time to shut this old bag of vinegar and piss away for a long, long time.
Yes, we have freedom of speech in this country. But liberals would NEVER tolerate these sorts of thing. They ONLY use this sort of tactic (free speech) when somebody is trying to shut up the same moon bats that spout nonsense that they whine about on the FAR right. The only difference is, they want to shut down ALL speech that disagrees with them. Liberals HATE free speech, so it’s funny they’re actually using it to protect this screaming moon bat!! Yeah, they want to shut down Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hanity, Fox NEWS (A NEWS CHANNEL!) and everybody else that doesn’t have the same opinion they do.
DEATH TO LIBERALISM!!! (it’s destroying the country!!)
You guys that agree with her are just crazy. If the Jews did have control of everything, why the hell would have have hired a Jew hater like her?? That doesn’t make sense!
If Jews DID control everything, how is this sort of story even getting out?? They’d shut it away so NOBODY ever saw it again. They’d have her taken out by mossad!!
You guys crack me up with this “Jews control everything” nonsense. But I guess it’s expected. It goes against all logic. Against all facts known to people.
And everybody knows, that liberals can NOT use any form of logic. Nor can they deal with facts. Their brain simply can not process facts, it is like a bucket with a hole in the bottom of it, everything goes in, but the facts just fall right out. And logic…. crazy, they just can’t process anything. They’re all “emotion based.”
They see “the big picture” and not the details. That’s why they can say idiotic things like “just get rid of guns.” Any person with any sort of a brain, would know that’s impossible. Yet they still say it. They don’t care about the details, just “do it.” then they want credit for the idea, even though it’s utterly stupid.
How is it possible for Helen to be an anti-semite? Squealer’s the dealer! Everyone who wants Helen out is a fraud. They only dream that they possess
integrity like their nemesis. I love this woman!
Okay, I agree with you, Roger Shouse.
But some things that are said can be seen and taken as being said in extremely poor taste and/or with an ignorant and/or deliberate lack of tact.
Helen Thomas comments fall into those categories and therefore she, via her words, is open to scurtiny and rebuke.
By her recent comments on the Jews leaving Israel for some of their former habitats, and other silimar comments prior, she shows herself to be an opinionated, bloviating, out of touch with reality, old fart.
I say that based on her comments she deserves what she’s received and more.
Bully for the conscious, reality based public in America and Wayne State U.
Light her up!
Hanania and the NJAA are diligently working to earn their stripes now too, aren’t they?
Y’all keep chirping now..
One simple question. Everyone talks about “Arab Land”. Isn’t that a racist concept? What if people were talking about “White (only) land” ? Isn’t that equally racist? So when people say the Jews/Zionists are building on Arab Land, isn’t that like saying black people are building on white land? But I guess for some people racism and prejudice only works one way.
Also, please keep Helen around. In fact, re-hire her. Some Jews think they are so well loved and so accepted. They need to be reminded otherwise.
So Helen Thomas should be allowed to say whatever she wants becuase of free speech. I have an email alert from CAIR bragging about how they stopped a teacher in Oregon from teaching a course on Islam because they did not like the way he presented the material saying it was misleading and false. It is obvious Muslims advocate free speech if it is ant-smeitic but not anti-muslim. Hypocrites.
First, the cry baby’s must decide if they are arabs or Americans and where their loyalty’s are.
Second, diversity is no more than government sanctioned racism.
The award is the property of Wayne State to choose as the University sees fit.
Stop mis-using the first amendment before some a-hole walks up to you, smacks you with a pipe and shouts ‘Freedom of Expression” and claims 1st Amendment protection.
Seems an IQ of 10 is getting to be the norm for journalists these days !
Can someone be an anti-Semite if they invite Jews to live as permanent fully-enfranchised residents in the speakers’ own country? The answer is obviously and simply no. Zionism always was a shocking reveal of what self-serving Jewish community leaders really think about their equivalent of “rabble,” from Chaim Weizman’s idiotic provocations of Germany (at no danger to himself an enormous danger to the Jews he spoke for) to benGurion’s statement that he would rather Jewish refugees die than find refuge outside of Israel, which they vastly preferred. Israel is not a nation, it’s a failed experiment dependent on extraordinary conditions, like Biafra or various US client states.
Good for Wayne State. We do not need anti-semetic hatemongers associated with the university. Israel is a free country and has every right to defend itself from Muslim terrorists groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, PLO, and the Muslim Brotherhood.
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com
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