Journalist, Helen Thomas, retired immediately last week after she made a controversial comment to an Independent filmmaker. When asked about Israel, Thomas commented that they should "get the hell out of Palestine."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=douQvonGeqY&feature=related
Thomas begun her career in 1943, and covered the White House for more than 50 years. Known for covering all hot topic issues, and putting presidents in the "hot seat," she made a name for herself in journalism. She was the first woman to become president of the White House Correspondents Association, and held a front row seat in the briefing room. Since the beginning of this controversy, the Board stated they do not "police the speech of our members or colleagues." However, a special meeting was held after her statement to determine whether an opinion columnist should get front row seating. Helen Thomas apologized for her statement and retired from her journalism career.
I am only covering this story due to Free Speech. I am not saying I agree or disagree with Thomas' statement. I would imagine it is hard to work as a journalist and have to censor yourself when asked questions. Maybe she signed a contract that she could not give her views while working for the White House, but she is an opinion correspondent. She should be allowed to voice her opinion, as should we all. What are your thoughts? Should we have to censor our true beliefs and feelings because of our careers? Does that give us Free Speech?
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Being a science teacher, I must censor my views and opinions on many issues. This is somewhat difficult at times because of the subject we are discussing and the questions that I am asked. We discuss theories on the creation of the universe which always spark the opinion questions. Seventh graders are at the age of figuring out their individual beliefs -- sometimes following their parents, but sometimes attempting to differ. The majority of the time I teach the controversial topics directly from the book or text. There are times that if I am asked directly I will answer very carefully, stressing that these are my beliefs and opinions, therefore not fact and I am not telling them what they should believe.
ReplyDeleteI am not saying it is right or wrong, but I do need my job!!
I think there's a good parallel here with librarianship. Although it is her job to be "impartial" and "unbiased," she does of course have the right to her own personal views. On the other hand, if she expresses her own personal (controversial) views, then that reflects on how people will treat her professionally on the job. As librarians, we're supposed to remain information neutral so that all patrons are comfortable approaching us with their issues. If you were looking for information on abortion, wouldn't knowing that the librarian is also an extreme anti-abortion activist influence your willingness to seek help from him/her? I think that both for journalists and librarians, we have to be careful about what views we express in any venue if we want to be good at our jobs - we do both live amongst our patrons.
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ReplyDeleteWhen I was an undergrad, Helen Thomas came and spoke at a forum at the university I attended (which has an overwhelmingly conservative student body). I remembered that she had a great moment where she talked about freedom of speech and the free exchange of ideas. I was able to find this article from the Provo Daily Herald that actually recounts what happened:
ReplyDeleteMany Brigham Young University students seemed to disagree with the liberal views of veteran journalist Helen Thomas as she spoke in the Marriott Center Tuesday, but the former White House bureau chief took it in stride.
After loud applause met her declaration that George W. Bush is "more conservative than any president I've ever covered," Thomas turned, spoke to BYU President Cecil O. Samuelson, then faced her audience again.
"Am I in enemy territory?" she asked. "Democracy is wonderful, isn't it?" she added, as it allows the free exchange of ideas.
http://heraldextra.com/news/article_2d47cdec-2b6a-5f54-93d6-b80cc38d0e4d.html
I've always remembered her for how well she handled the whole thing. She used a tough moment to make a great point about the free exchange of ideas. It's sad that this is the way her career came to a close.
We shouldn't have to censor our beliefs and feelings for our career but the reality is that we often have to. I have had jobs where I literally would have been fired for expressing my true beliefs aloud. In libraries, it is our job to remain impartial and to maintain the confidentiality of our patrons; both of these mean not speaking out about what materials are being checked out, even if those materials run counter to our beliefs. That is the downside of choosing a career in the public eye.
ReplyDelete~Lynn
That's true....I could see how teachers and librarians have to censor how we may feel about issues. I guess everyone in the public eye needs to do that. Its a shame because you always have to remember that you represent a company, or organization- even on your own time.
ReplyDeleteHelen Thomas was suppose to speak at a graduation, and they canceled her after this incident. It is a shame that she held such a great career, and it had to end over this.
I think it's important to remember that the First Amendment only prevents the government from coming after you based on what you say. It doesn't mean a private association you belong to can't punish you for it.
ReplyDeleteShe should have known better.
That a respected journalist who has been active in the field for over 50 years could be forced into retirement after making an off the cuff comment is ridiculous. The fact that she retired says more about the power of the Jewish state than anything else. (To me at least.) This just goes to show that there are always forces out there who will always try to suppress the free exchange of ideas or expression. I’ve always admired people who have had the courage of their convictions. It is unfortunate that someone who has been respected for so long would have her career end on such a negative note. However, there is a lesson there for us as we enter this profession. We should strive to keep our comments neutral especially when helping patrons find items on subjects that we have strong opinions on. Through experience we need to cultivate that ability. Otherwise we might suffer a similar fate.
ReplyDeleteThis is where we as librarians must have the ability to have tenure status, and in most universities we do. We must be free to espouse our ideas, without the fear of economic hardship. Not that Helen Thomas will experience economic hardship, but the idea still holds. We should have no fear of losing our job based upon what we might say. This is the whole point of tenure.
ReplyDeleteI do not have a problem staying quiet when it comes to patron interactions. However, I would think that anyone in the public eye would have to also watch their interactions when dealing with irate patrons. Sometimes it is SO hard to take their craziness and stay quiet...
ReplyDeleteEven though we need tenure as Mark said, that doesn't protect us as much as we think. I am tenured in my teaching position, but expressing certain viewpoints to my students in the conservative township where I live would definitely get me in hot water. From that point, it is just a matter of time and a bit of nit-picking to remove a teacher. Administrators seem to be able to find the smallest of flaws and blow them up. Since evaluations are so subjective, it is relatively easy for administrators to harass teachers. Usually, they don't fire them, but there have been a lot of teachers that are convinced to move to 'greener pastures' or retire early.
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