The First Amendment and the White House
Helen Thomas
Thursday, 19 Apr 2007 at 8:00 pm – Great Hall, Memorial Union
Helen Thomas, a Hearst Newspapers columnist, served for fifty-seven years as a correspondent for United Press International. As White House bureau chief, she has covered every president since John F. Kennedy and is often referred to as "the First Lady of the Press." Thomas was the first woman officer of the National Press Club, the first woman member and president of the White House Correspondents Association and the first woman member of the Gridiron Club. In 1998 she received the International Women's Media Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award and was honored by President and Mrs. Clinton as the first recipient of the Helen Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award. She is the author of four books: Watchdogs of Democracy? The Waning Washington Press Corps and How It Has Failed the Public; Thanks for the Memories Mr. President: Wit and Wisdom from the Front Row at the White House; Front Row at the White House: My Life and Times; and Dateline: Whitehouse. The 2007 First Amendment Day Lecture.Cosponsored By:
- Greenlee Excellence Fund
- Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication
- Lee Enterprises
- Committee on Lectures (funded by Student Government)
Stay for the entire event, including the brief question-and-answer session that follows the formal presentation. Most events run 75 minutes.
Sign-ins are after the event concludes. For lectures in the Memorial Union, go to the information desk in the Main Lounge. In other academic buildings, look for signage outside the auditorium.
Lecture Etiquette
- Stay for the entire lecture and the brief audience Q&A. If a student needs to leave early, he or she should sit near the back and exit discreetly.
- Do not bring food or uncovered drinks into the lecture.
- Check with Lectures staff before taking photographs or recording any portion of the event. There are often restrictions. Cell phones, tablets and laptops may be used to take notes or for class assignments.
- Keep questions or comments brief and concise to allow as many as possible.