false 284353 2 In the course of more than sixty years spent covering Washington politics, Helen Thomas has witnessed a raft of fundamental changes in the way news is gathered and reported. Gone are the days of frequent firsthand contact with the president. Now, the press sees the president only at tightly controlled and orchestrated press conferences. In addition, Thomas sees a growing -- and alarming -- reluctance among reporters to question government spokesmen and probe for the truth. The result has been a wholesale failure by journalists to fulfill what is arguably their most vital role in contemporary American life -- to be the watchdogs of democracy. Today's journalists, according to Thomas, have become subdued, compromised lapdogs.<P><P>Here, the legendary journalist and bestselling author delivers a hard-hitting manifesto on the precipitous decline in the quality and ethics of political reportage -- and issues a clarion call for change. Thomas confronts some of the most significant issues of the day, including the jailing of reporters, the conservative swing in television news coverage, and the administration's increased insistence on "managed" news. But she is most emphatic about reporters' failure to adequately question President George W. Bush and White House spokesmen about the lead-up to the invasion of Iraq, and on subjects ranging from homeland security to the economy. This, she insists, was a dire lapse.<P><P>Drawing on her peerless knowledge of journalism, Washington politics, and nine presidential administrations, as well as frank interviews with leading journalists past and present, Thomas provides readers with a rich historical perspective on the roots of American journalism, the circumstances attending the rise and fall of its golden age, and the nature and consequences of its current shortcomings. The result is a powerful, eye-opening discourse on the state of political reportage -- as well as a welcome and inspiring demand for meaningful and lasting reform. <P><P> 654223 2006 Watchdogs of Democracy?: The Waning Washington Press Corps and How It Has Failed the Public total:53|5:10|4:10|3:25|2:7|1:1| 53 180 113 14 3 1 false false Tue Feb 05 00:01:21 -0800 2008 Tue Feb 05 00:27:21 -0800 2008
It was a litany of good journalists in the past, and references to bad journalism of the present, with...more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon May 18 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri May 08 14:47:11 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 07 06:44:54 -0700 2009
The book does exactly what the title says -- it describes Thomas' observations about how the press in Washington has changed through the years; mainly about the s...more...]]> 2 0 false false Mon May 19 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon May 05 15:22:08 -0700 2008 Mon May 19 11:14:27 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Feb 03 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 10 14:53:22 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 10 14:57:47 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Feb 02 07:36:34 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 21 04:25:07 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 02 07:36:34 -0800 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Tue Jun 16 14:19:14 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 16 14:20:07 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Feb 09 20:16:00 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 09 20:18:28 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 23 18:36:26 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 23 18:37:40 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Thu May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Feb 27 15:31:26 -0800 2008 Tue Aug 05 14:53:30 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 0 false false Mon Apr 27 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 19 13:15:23 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 27 14:53:20 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Fri Aug 24 11:42:28 -0700 2007 Fri Aug 24 11:43:15 -0700 2007
(Helen Thomas is one of the oldest White House press corps people. Old in terms of length served, not actual years as far as I know)]]> 5 0 false false Fri Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Thu Jun 28 06:44:35 -0700 2007 Thu Jun 28 06:45:09 -0700 2007 4 0 false false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sun Mar 23 09:07:30 -0700 2008 Sun Mar 23 09:40:46 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Sat Nov 10 00:06:58 -0800 2007 Sat Nov 10 00:08:34 -0800 2007 0 0 true false Thu Oct 29 20:31:02 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 29 20:31:27 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sat Oct 24 22:37:32 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 31 08:32:15 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Oct 19 15:21:01 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 19 15:21:01 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Fri Oct 16 19:02:36 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 16 19:02:36 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Thu Oct 15 08:24:50 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 15 08:24:50 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Mon Oct 12 13:48:40 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 12 13:48:40 -0700 2009