US President Barack Obama has openly acknowledged what some of his predecessors have felt about Helen Thomas, the feisty front-row White House journalist, who kept them on their toes.
Helen, 92, died here on Saturday. She covered 10 presidents over nearly half a century, and became a legend in the industry. She was a regular fixture at White House news conferences — sitting front and centre late in her career —where she frequently exasperated Government spokesmen with her pointed questions. In a condolence message, Obama said he was saddened to learn of the death of Helen.
“Helen was a true pioneer, opening doors and breaking down barriers for generations of women in journalism. “She covered every White House since President Kennedy’s, and during that time she never failed to keep presidents — myself included — on their toes,” the US President acknowledged. “What made Helen the ‘Dean of the White House Press Corps’ was not just the length of her tenure, but her fierce belief that our democracy works best when we ask tough questions and hold our leaders to account,” he said.