Journalist [Helen Thomas]gets mixed reception at BYU forum

Provo Daily Herald ^ | Sept. 24, 2003

[Cate]

Hmmm.. I bet she didn't get an invite to tour any temples. You never want the devil on consecrated ground.

[jpl]

Stupid old liberal. She thinks that all college campuses are like Harvard, so she just assumed she was safe.

[IYAS9YAS]

Yeah, that's a good idea!

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

When questioned why the national press is labeled as liberal, she laughed and said, "That's a myth now. It's not true. I wish I could find some friends."

If you can paint your opponent as an extremist and yourself as sweet reason, you have won the debate. So "objectivity" is the high PR ground, and it is natural for journalists to use their PR power to claim it.

The easy way to success being to go along and get along, journalists have adopted a system for avoiding unnecessary contention for the status of "objective journalist." Adherence to this code by journalists means that it is sensible to speak of "journalism" as an entity, an Estatblishment.

It is of the nature of an Establishment that, like the mafia, it "doesn't exist"--but you'd better not cross it! The journalistic Establishment coheres in the following code:

The objectivity of anyone who adheres to the party line that journalists are objective is never challenged by any other member of journalism Establishment.

If a Bernard Goldberg does write a Bias, he does not cease being a journalist--he is an unperson who never was a journalist.

"That's a myth now. It's not true

Yeah, Helen. Right . . . </sarcasm>

Why Broadcast Journalism is
Unnecessary and Illegitimate

[LaraCroft]

I can't believe she was invited to speak. How much was she paid and who's money was wasted?

[Utah Girl]

I just read it in the newspaper. Yikes, I won't be so nice, and I will say "What were they thinking???"

[okie01]

"Start talking! My god, the silence in this country," she said. "There's too much silence in this country. People should start expressing themselves."

I did express myself, directly to her, via e-mail, regarding one of her columns.

Based on her surly response, she did not appear to appreciate my self-expression.

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

LOL...... about part for the course. Typical of the DemocRATS - they can dish it out but they can't take it!

[leprechaun9]

Was this appearance a preview for HALLOWEEN?

[Mark Turbo]

Stupid old liberal. She thinks that all college campuses are like Harvard, so she just assumed she was safe.

Another stupid old liberal, Molly Ivins, learned not to make that mistake about Texas A&M.