海倫·托馬斯，一個令美國總統(tǒng)聞之色變、令同行肅然起敬的名字。在總統(tǒng)新聞發(fā)布會上，她常常從白宮新聞發(fā)布廳第一排的中央起身提問，尖銳的問題直指總統(tǒng)們的軟肋。她對總統(tǒng)們執(zhí)著發(fā)問、步步緊逼、毫不留情，因此獲得了“總統(tǒng)折磨者”的稱號。從肯尼迪到奧巴馬，她“折磨”了十位美國總統(tǒng)。2013年7月20日，這位“新聞界的第一夫人”因病逝世。她的犀利、勇氣、開拓精神與敬業(yè)精神已經(jīng)成為美國新聞業(yè)的一面旗幟，也是新聞領(lǐng)域一座可望而不可即的高峰。

Helen Thomas， a wire service correspondent and columnist whose sharp questions from the front row of the White House press room challenged and annoyed 10 presidents and who was effective in divulging3） information that federal officials tried to keep secret， died July 20 at her home in Washington. She was 92.

Unintimidated by presidents or press secretaries， Ms. Thomas was known as the dean of the White House press corps4） for her longevity in the beat5）. She reported for the United Press International for almost 60 years.

Among the most-recognized reporters in America， Ms. Thomas was a short， dark-eyed woman with a gravelly6） voice who， for many years， rose from her front-row seat at presidential news conferences to ask the first or second question. For nearly 30 years， she closed the sessions with a no-nonsense7） “Thank you， Mr. President.”

“Helen was a true pioneer， opening doors and breaking down barriers for generations of women in journalism，” President Obama said in a statement. “She covered every White House since President Kennedy’s， and during that time she never failed to keep presidents—myself included—on their toes8）.”

Ms. Thomas’s pointed queries often agitated the powerful， but she was also lauded9） for posing questions “almost like a housewife in Des Moines10） would ask，” a colleague once said. She asked President Richard M. Nixon point-blank what his secret plan to end the Vietnam War was， and she asked President Ronald Reagan what right the United States had to invade Grenada11） in 1983.

When President George H. W. Bush announced that the defense budget would remain the same after the collapse of the Soviet Union， the fall of the Berlin Wall and the disappearance of communism in Europe， she succinctly12） asked， “Who’s the enemy？”

“I respect the office of the presidency，” she told Ann McFeatters for a 2006 profile in Ms. magazine， “but I never worship at the shrines of our public servants. They owe us the truth.”

Ms. Thomas had a number of scoops13）， including her exclusive interviews with Martha Mitchell， which helped expose some aspects of the Watergate scandal. Mitchell， the wife of Attorney General John Mitchell， told Thomas in late-night phone calls that she had seen a Nixon campaign strategy book that included plans for Watergate-style operations. Thomas also broke the story that Nixon’s speechwriters were working on a resignation address that he would give the next day.

Her strength was her indefatigable pursuit of hard news14）， the bread-and-butter staple of the wire services. She arrived at work every morning before dawn and accompanied presidents on overseas trips. She was the only female print reporter to accompany Nixon on his historic visit to China， and later， in her 70s and 80s， she often outdistanced15） younger reporters on arduous16） around-the-world travels.

In 2000， she quit UPI and became a columnist for the Hearst News Service， a job she retired from in 2010 after she told a rabbi that Jewish settlers should “get the hell out of Palestine” and go back to “Poland， Germany， America and everywhere else.”

She apologized， but White House spokesman Robert Gibbs denounced her comments as “offensive and reprehensible17）.” The White House Correspondents’ Association issued a rare admonishment， calling her statements “indefensible18）.”

The remarks ignited a controversy that had been simmering19） for years. The daughter of Lebanese immigrants， Ms. Thomas routinely questioned White House officials over US policies toward Israel and the Middle East， which led some to complain she was too sympathetic to Palestinian and Arab viewpoints.

Ms. Thomas was clear about her antipathy to secretive government and her belief that the George W. Bush administration disregarded well-established law. In 2003， she told another reporter that she was covering “the worst president in American history.” The remark was quoted， and Bush， who was not amused， froze her out20）. She apologized in writing， and he accepted her regrets but did not call on her at his news conferences for the next three years.

When he finally did， she immediately fired off a classic Thomas question：

“I’d like to ask you， Mr. President. Your decision to invade Iraq has caused the deaths of thousands of Americans and Iraqis， wounds of Americans and Iraqis for a lifetime. Every reason given， publicly at least， has turned out not to be true. My question is： Why did you really want to go to war？ From the moment you stepped into the White House， what was your real reason？ You have said it wasn’t oil—quest for oil—it hasn’t been Israel or anything else. What was it？”

Ms. Thomas publicly criticized her colleagues in the press and broadcast media for failing to ask the hard questions of the Bush administration， but she saved her toughest criticisms for elected officials.

“We are the only institution in our society that can question a president on a regular basis and make him accountable，” she told author Kay Mills for a 1996 Modern Maturity magazine article. “Otherwise， he could be king.”

High school journalist

Helen Amelia Thomas was born Aug. 4， 1920， in Winchester， Ky.， one of nine children of immigrants from present-day Lebanon. A few years after her birth， the family moved to Detroit， where her father ran a grocery store in a neighborhood that was home to people of Italian， African， German and Arab ancestry.

She found her career while working on her high school newspaper， then studied journalism at what is now Wayne State University. She paid for her education by working in the college library and helping out at her brother’s gas station.

In 1960， she was assigned to report on the presidential campaign of John F. Kennedy. When Kennedy won the election， there was suddenly a huge demand for stories about his glamorous wife， Jacqueline.

Ms. Thomas interviewed hairdressers， clerks at clothing stores， caterers， pianists who played at the family’s parties and even the owner of the diaper service. She and Lewine staked out21） the hospital when John Kennedy Jr. was born and were such a frequent presence in Jacqueline Kennedy’s life that the first lady began calling them “the harpies22）” and complained to the Secret Service that “two strange Spanish-looking women” were stalking her.

Over the next decade， Ms. Thomas began reporting harder news， still finding the unusual and juicy tidbit23）. President Lyndon B. Johnson was furious when he learned through Ms. Thomas’s UPI report that his daughter Luci was engaged.

“You announced Luci’s engagement， you announced Luci’s marriage， you announced when Luci was going to have a baby， and I resented it，” he once told her. But in those more informal times， he also invited her to lunch in the family quarters of the White House.

In 1970， her longtime mentor， Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Merriman Smith， committed suicide. Ms. Thomas was named UPI’s senior White House correspondent， the first woman to hold that post.

Few knew at the time that she was dating journalist Douglas B. Cornell， who also covered the White House for the rival Associated Press newswire. Cornell， 17 years her senior， was retiring in 1971， and Nixon gave him a going-away party. In the midst of the ceremony， first lady Pat Nixon grabbed the microphone and announced the Thomas-Cornell engagement. “At last，” the first lady said， “I’ve scooped Helen Thomas.”

Ms. Thomas was named UPI’s White House bureau chief in 1974， and Nixon noted that hallmark at a news conference.

“So after he had been so gracious， he pointed to me for the first question，” she wrote in her White House memoir. “‘Mr. President，’ I said， ‘Mr. Haldeman， your former top aide in the White House， has been charged with perjury24） because he testified you said it would be wrong to pay hush money25） to silence the Watergate defendants.’”

She continued， in Front Row at the White House： “It’s like I say to young people who ask me about going into journalism： If you want to be loved， don’t go into this business.”

Sharp-edged humor

Known for her quick wit， Ms. Thomas didn’t hesitate to exercise it on presidents. When a set of fortune-telling scales once spewed26） out a card for Gerald Ford saying， “You are a brilliant leader，” she glanced at the card and cracked， “It got your weight wrong， too.”

In the 1980s， after the official planting of a Lebanon cedar tree on the South Lawn of the White House， fellow reporters urged Ms. Thomas， a Lebanese American， to pick up the ceremonial shovel and toss some dirt into the hole to cover the roots.

“And as she shoveled，” ABC News broadcaster Sam Donaldson later said， “I heard the ghosts of presidents past and present say， ‘Shove her in.’”

Ms. Thomas was president of the Women’s National Press Club in 1959 and was named one of the “25 Most Influential Women in America” by the World Almanac in 1976. In 1998， she was the first recipient of a prize established in her name by the White House Correspondents’ Association—the Helen Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award.

In 1984， when she received the National Press Club’s Fourth Estate27） Award， Reagan told Ms. Thomas： “You are not only a fine and respected professional； you have also become an important part of the American presidency.”

Although she identified herself as a political liberal， Ms. Thomas did not hesitate to criticize the Democratic administration of President Obama， even after he presented her with cupcakes on Aug. 4， 2009， their shared birthday. She once told CNSNews.com that not even Nixon attempted to control the news media the way Obama’s administration tried to do.

“What the hell do they think we are—puppets？” Ms. Thomas asked. “They’re supposed to stay out of our business. They are our public servants. We pay them.”

海倫·托馬斯于7月20日在華盛頓家中逝世，享年92歲。作為一位通訊社記者和專欄作家，她坐在白宮新聞發(fā)布廳的前排，向總統(tǒng)提出尖銳的問題。她一生向十位總統(tǒng)發(fā)過難，讓他們感到惱火；而對于聯(lián)邦官員試圖守口如瓶的消息，她也有辦法揭露出來。

托馬斯女士對總統(tǒng)或新聞秘書毫無畏懼。由于她在這一行當(dāng)?shù)馁Y深經(jīng)歷，她成為白宮記者團(tuán)的團(tuán)長，為合眾國際社報道了將近60年。

作為美國最為知名的記者之一，托馬斯女士是一位身材矮小、黑眼睛、聲音粗啞的女性。多年以來，在總統(tǒng)新聞發(fā)布會上，她都會從最前排的座位起身，第一個或第二個進(jìn)行提問。將近30年來，每次發(fā)布會都是以她直截了當(dāng)?shù)囊痪洹爸x謝您，總統(tǒng)先生”結(jié)束。

“海倫是一位真正的開拓者，她為一代又一代從事新聞業(yè)的女性打開了大門，破除了障礙，”奧巴馬總統(tǒng)在一份聲明中稱，“她報道過自肯尼迪總統(tǒng)以來的每一屆白宮政府。在此期間，她總是能使每一位總統(tǒng)——包括我自己在內(nèi)——神經(jīng)緊繃?！?/p>

托馬斯女士尖銳的提問常常令當(dāng)權(quán)者焦慮不安，但她也得到了人們的贊許，因?yàn)樗龁柕膯栴}“幾乎像是得梅因的某位家庭主婦會問的”，她的一位同事曾這樣說。她曾直截了當(dāng)?shù)貑柪聿榈隆·尼克松總統(tǒng)他有什么秘密計劃來結(jié)束越南戰(zhàn)爭，也曾問過羅納德·里根總統(tǒng)美國有什么權(quán)利于1983年入侵格林納達(dá)。

在前蘇聯(lián)解體、柏林墻倒塌、歐洲共產(chǎn)主義消失之后，當(dāng)喬治·H·W·布什總統(tǒng)宣布國防預(yù)算將保持不變時，她單刀直入地問道：“敵人是誰呢？”

“我尊重總統(tǒng)這一職位，”2006年，她在接受《女士》雜志專訪時對安·麥克菲特斯說，“但我永遠(yuǎn)不會對著公職人員的神龕頂禮膜拜。他們有義務(wù)告訴我們真相?！?/p>

托馬斯女士多次掌握獨(dú)家新聞，其中她對馬莎·米切爾的獨(dú)家采訪幫助她揭露了水門事件的某些內(nèi)幕。米切爾是當(dāng)時的司法部長約翰·米切爾的太太，在幾次深夜打來的電話中，她告訴托馬斯她曾見過一本關(guān)于尼克松競選戰(zhàn)略的手冊，里面提到了一些類似于水門事件的行動策劃。托馬斯還爆料稱，尼克松的演講撰稿人正在撰寫一個辭職演講，以供尼克松第二天宣布辭職。

她的優(yōu)勢在于她對硬新聞孜孜不倦的追求，這是通訊社賴以生存的根本。她每天早上天還沒亮就開始上班，還要隨同總統(tǒng)出國訪問。在尼克松總統(tǒng)那次歷史性的訪華之行中，她是唯一一位隨行的女性平媒記者。后來，到了七八十歲時，她仍不辭辛勞，經(jīng)常奔波于世界各地，將那些比她年輕的記者遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)拋在后面。

2000年，她離開合眾國際社，成為赫斯特通訊社的專欄作家。2010年，她從這一崗位退休。此前，她曾對一位猶太拉比說猶太定居者應(yīng)該“從巴勒斯坦?jié)L出去”，回到“波蘭、德國、美國或其他任何地方”。

她為此道了歉，但白宮發(fā)言人羅伯特·吉布斯指責(zé)她的言論是“無禮和應(yīng)受譴責(zé)的”。白宮記者協(xié)會也發(fā)布了一條罕見的警告，稱她的言論是“不可原諒的”。

這些話激發(fā)了醞釀多年的一場爭議。作為黎巴嫩移民的女兒，托馬斯女士經(jīng)常就美國對以色列和中東的政策問題質(zhì)疑白宮官員。這種做法引起一些人的抱怨，說她過于支持巴勒斯坦和阿拉伯人的觀點(diǎn)。

托馬斯女士明確表示自己憎惡行事詭秘的政府，也明確認(rèn)為喬治·W·布什政府無視已被大家接受的法律制度。2003年，她告訴另一位記者她正在報道“美國歷史上最差勁的總統(tǒng)”。這句話被引述，布什感到十分不悅，將她“封殺”。她后來作出了書面道歉，布什也接受了她的道歉，但在此后三年的新聞發(fā)布會中都沒有給她提問的機(jī)會。

當(dāng)他最終讓她提問時，她立刻拋出了一個典型的托馬斯式的問題：

“我想問您，總統(tǒng)先生。您入侵伊拉克的決定已經(jīng)造成了成千上萬名美國人和伊拉克人喪生，還使許多美國人和伊拉克人終身傷殘。截至目前您所給的每一條理由，至少是公開給出的理由，都已被證明是不真實(shí)的。我的問題是，您到底為什么要打這場戰(zhàn)爭？從您踏入白宮的那一刻起，您真正的原因是什么？您已經(jīng)說過不是因?yàn)槭汀皇菫榱藢で笫汀膊皇且驗(yàn)橐陨谢蛘邉e的原因。那是什么原因？”

托馬斯女士曾公開批評在平面媒體和廣播媒體工作的同事，說他們未能向布什政府提出刁鉆的問題，但她將最嚴(yán)厲的批評留給了當(dāng)選的官員。

“我們是社會中唯一能夠定期向總統(tǒng)提出質(zhì)疑并讓他承擔(dān)責(zé)任的機(jī)構(gòu)，”1996年，在接受《現(xiàn)代老年》雜志采訪時，她對文章作者凱·米爾斯說，“不然的話，他會成國王的?！?/p>

記者之路始于中學(xué)

海倫·阿梅莉亞·托馬斯于1920年8月4日出生于肯塔基州溫切斯特市，父母是來自如今的黎巴嫩的移民，家中共有九個孩子。她出生幾年之后，全家人搬到了底特律。在那里，她父親開了一家雜貨店，雜貨店所在的社區(qū)里住著意大利裔、非裔、德裔和阿拉伯裔的人。

在中學(xué)校報工作時，她找到了自己鐘情的事業(yè)，后來在現(xiàn)在的韋恩州立大學(xué)學(xué)習(xí)新聞學(xué)。通過在校圖書館打工以及在哥哥的加油站幫忙，她為自己支付了學(xué)費(fèi)。

1960年，她被派去報道約翰·F·肯尼迪的總統(tǒng)競選活動?？夏岬馅A得大選后，人們對他那魅力四射的夫人杰奎琳的報道需求量猛增。

托馬斯女士采訪過美發(fā)師、服裝店店員、餐飲服務(wù)人員、在肯尼迪家庭晚會上演奏過的鋼琴家，甚至還有尿布服務(wù)店的老板。小約翰·肯尼迪出生時，她和盧因（編注：美聯(lián)社的一位記者）整天蹲守在醫(yī)院。她們?nèi)绱祟l繁地出現(xiàn)在杰奎琳·肯尼迪的生活中，以至于這位第一夫人開始稱她們?yōu)椤芭ь^”，并向特工人員投訴說有“兩個古怪的、看起來像西班牙人的女人”在跟蹤她。

在后來的十年里，托馬斯女士開始報道更為嚴(yán)肅的新聞，但仍然會獵取一些不同尋常、吸引人眼球的花邊新聞。林登·B·約翰遜總統(tǒng)就是通過托馬斯女士為合眾社撰寫的報道獲悉自己女兒露西訂婚的消息，他為此勃然大怒。

“露西訂婚是你公布的，露西結(jié)婚是你公布的，露西什么時候生孩子也是你公布的，我對此表示憤慨?！奔s翰遜總統(tǒng)曾對她說。但在較為隨便的時候，約翰遜總統(tǒng)也會邀請她前往白宮的官邸共進(jìn)午餐。

1970年，長期指導(dǎo)她的良師、普利策獎獲得者梅里曼·史密斯（編注：曾任合眾社高級白宮記者）自殺身亡。托馬斯女士被任命為合眾社的高級白宮記者，成為擔(dān)任這一職位的首位女性。

那時，很少有人知道她正在與記者道格拉斯·B·康奈爾約會。康奈爾也是專門報道白宮事務(wù)的記者，為合眾社的競爭對手美聯(lián)社工作?？的螤柋人觊L17歲。1971年，在康奈爾將要退休時，尼克松總統(tǒng)為他舉行了歡送會。在歡送儀式進(jìn)行的過程中，第一夫人帕特·尼克松拿過麥克風(fēng)，宣布了托馬斯和康奈爾訂婚的消息。這位第一夫人說：“這次終于讓我發(fā)布了關(guān)于海倫·托馬斯的獨(dú)家新聞?！?/p>

1974年，托馬斯女士被任命為合眾社駐白宮記者站站長，尼克松總統(tǒng)在一次新聞發(fā)布會上還提到了這一標(biāo)志性事件。

“他是如此親切，然后他指向我，讓我第一個提問，”她在其關(guān)于白宮的回憶錄中寫道，“我說：‘總統(tǒng)先生，您在白宮的前高級助理霍爾德曼先生被指控作偽證，因?yàn)樗髯C說，您曾說過，給水門案的被告封口費(fèi)讓他們閉嘴是錯誤的?！?/p>

在《白宮前沿》一書中，她繼續(xù)寫道：“當(dāng)年輕人問我從事新聞工作怎么樣時，我會告訴他們：如果你們想要討人喜歡，就不要干這行?！?/p>

幽默又不失犀利

托馬斯女士以機(jī)智、敏銳而著稱，她毫不猶豫地在總統(tǒng)身上使用這一強(qiáng)項。有一次，一套可以算命的人體秤為杰拉爾德·福特總統(tǒng)吐出一張卡片，上面寫著：“您是一位杰出的領(lǐng)袖。”她看了一眼那張卡片，調(diào)侃道：“您的體重它也說錯了?！?/p>

20世紀(jì)80年代，一棵黎巴嫩的雪松種在了白宮的南草坪上。由于托馬斯女士是黎巴嫩后裔，在正式的種植完畢后，同行記者都敦促她拿起典禮上用的鐵鏟，往坑里填一些泥土，掩埋樹根。

“她鏟土的時候，”美國廣播公司新聞播音員山姆·唐納森后來說，“我聽到歷代總統(tǒng)的鬼魂都在說：‘把她也鏟進(jìn)去埋了吧！’”

1959年，托馬斯女士成為全美女記者俱樂部主席。1976年，《世界年鑒》將她評為“美國最具影響力的25位女性”之一。1998年，白宮記者協(xié)會以她的名字設(shè)立了一個獎項——海倫·托馬斯終身成就獎，她是這一獎項的首位獲得者。

1984年，當(dāng)托馬斯女士榮獲全國新聞俱樂部頒發(fā)的第四權(quán)力獎時，里根總統(tǒng)對她說：“你不僅僅是一位優(yōu)秀的、受人尊敬的專業(yè)人士，而且已經(jīng)成為美國總統(tǒng)制度的一個重要部分。”

雖然托馬斯女士自認(rèn)為是政治上的自由主義者，但她卻毫不猶豫地批評奧巴馬總統(tǒng)的民主黨政府，甚至當(dāng)奧巴馬總統(tǒng)在2009年8月4日他們共同的生日那天給她奉上了紙杯蛋糕后仍是如此。她曾對CNSNews.com網(wǎng)站記者說，即使是尼克松總統(tǒng)都沒有像奧巴馬政府那樣試圖控制新聞媒體。

“他們究竟把我們當(dāng)成什么了？傀儡嗎？”托馬斯女士問道，“他們不應(yīng)該插手我們的事。他們是我們的公仆，我們付了錢給他們?！?/p>

1.feisty [?fa?sti] adj. 好爭吵的；活躍的

2.scourge [sk??（r）d?] n. 被視為懲罰工具的人（或事物）；災(zāi)難

3.divulge [da??v?ld?] vt. 泄露，揭露

4.press corps：（多家報紙及新聞機(jī)構(gòu)記者組成的）聯(lián)合報道組，記者團(tuán)

5.beat [bi?t] n. 專業(yè)，行當(dāng)

6.gravelly [?ɡr?v（?）li] adj. （聲音）粗重而沙啞的，刺耳的

7.no-nonsense [?n???n?ns（?）ns]

adj. 嚴(yán)肅的；直截了當(dāng)?shù)?/p>

8.keep sb. on his toes：使某人保持警覺

9.laud [l??d] vt. 稱贊，贊美

10.Des Moines：得梅因，美國中部城市，艾奧瓦州首府

11.Grenada：格林納達(dá)，拉丁美洲島國

12.succinctly [s?k?s??ktli] adv. 簡潔地，簡明地

13.scoop [sku?p] n. 〈口〉獨(dú)家新聞，搶先報道的新聞

14.hard news：硬新聞，指政治、外交等方面的嚴(yán)肅新聞，區(qū)別于一般的日常新聞、特寫報道等。

15.outdistance [?a?t?d?st?ns] vt. 把……拋在后面，大大超過

16.arduous [?ɑ?（r）dju?s] adj. 艱難的，費(fèi)力的

17.reprehensible [?repr??hens?b（?）l] adj. 應(yīng)受斥責(zé)的，應(yīng)該譴責(zé)的

18.indefensible [??nd??fens?b（?）l] adj. 無可辯解的；不可原諒的

19.simmer [?s?m?（r）] vi. 醞釀，趨于激化

20.freeze out：〈美口〉（用冷淡態(tài)度等）逼走，逐出

21.stake out：〈美口〉監(jiān)視

22.harpy [?hɑ?（r）pi] n. 悍婦，潑婦

23.tidbit [?t?db?t] n. 趣聞，珍聞

24.perjury [?p??（r）d??ri] n. 假誓；偽證

25.hush money：封口費(fèi)

26.spew [spju?] vt. 噴出，吐出

27.Fourth Estate：第四權(quán)力，這是西方社會對于新聞媒體在社會中地位的比喻。新聞媒體總體上構(gòu)成了與立法、行政、司法并立的一種社會力量，對這三種政治權(quán)力起制衡作用。