Legendary journalist and 50-year veteran White House correspondent Helen Thomas has come out of a seven-month retirement to resume her weekly political affairs column today, published in print and online exclusively in the Falls Church News-Press.
Thomas' first column back appears on Page 13 of this edition, and its subject is Social Security reform. Now age 90, Thomas began her journalistic career in 1942 and has covered every U.S. president one a day-to-day basis as a White House correspondent since 1960. She declared her retirement abruptly on June 8, 2010 following a firestorm of criticism that arose from spontaneous taped comments she made the day before that some claimed to be anti-Semitic.
But in a statement also published in today's edition, News-Press owner-editor Nicholas F. Benton writes that, as one who has known Ms. Thomas since 1991, "She is progressive, and following my more than eight hours of direct, one-on-one talks with her since the events of last June, I remain firmly convinced that she is neither bigoted, nor racist, nor anti-Semitic."
He added, "I am proud that a journalist of the stature and professionalism of Helen Thomas is relaunching her career, in her ninetieth year no less, in my newspaper. She more than deserves, and I am honored to help provide her the proverbial 'second chance." (Benton's full statement appears on Page 6 of this edition).
A journalist of national renown, who has published two books of memoirs of covering all the U.S. presidents since John F. Kennedy and the recipient of countless awards and honors, Thomas is no stranger to readers of the News-Press. Her syndicated column appeared every week in the News-Press beginning in January 2004, and on two occasions since visited the offices of the News-Press for public events to greet her readers and supporters.
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