Helen Thomas was the first woman to be White House Bureau Chief for a news wire service, was the first woman president of the White House Correspondents Association, and the first woman officer of the National Press Club. Because she had first-hand experience with the male-dominated world of journalism and politics, she fought hard for women's representation in these fields, and in clubs and organizations where they had been exculded.
Thomas worked for United Press Radio for 12 years, and then joined the United Press in 1943 as a White House reporter. She enjoyed writing about the president's wives, but she covered hard political news as well. She was among the first group of journalists to travel to China when it opened up after 20 years of forbidding U.S. citizens to visit. She finds journalism very exciting, and says you have to love the news and always be willing to keep up with it and learn new things. Because she was a wire reporter (which means that the articles that are written go out instantly on a national wire soother papers can print them), she had to get the news and write about it quickly. Some people criticized her for not being respectful enough to the presidents that she asked questions to during press conferences, but she thinks that presidents should be seen as human beings like everyone else, and should be held accountable for their actions. She has covered Presidents since Kennedy, and still reports today on Clinton.
Thomas encourages young women to fight for equal rights even if they didn't see a need to, because they will eventually face sexism in the workplace when they're older. She thinks that if women start working against discrimination immediately, it will help all women in the long run. She also believes in following your instincts and convictions, and to do what you enjoy.
Thomas loves following the always-changing news. Other people become overwhelmed with the amount of news, and all the different ways to get it, like magazines, papers, TV and the Internet. But a good reporter keeps up with news developments. Pick a story you're interested in, like what your community is doing to help the environment, or what politicians and police are doing to stop drugs in school. See how the story is reported in different kinds of media such as papers and television. Does your paper have a kids section? Does your neighborhood and/or school have a paper? Is your story reported on in these media? Is it presented differently depending on where it's being reported? Follow your story in all the kinds of media you can for a week or two, and see what new developments happen.