Press Release for Helen Thomas Rose Campaign - Constructive criticism

[helderheid]

welcome. ;)


Thank you katinmn for writing this!!


For Release on Thursday, March 30, 2006





Reporter Helen Thomas honored for asking the tough questions



ST. PAUL, MN – (March 30, 2006) – In a rare show of public support for a member of the national news media, Helen Thomas today was showered with 100 dozen roses from complete strangers.



Thomas, the veteran journalist who has covered every president since John F. Kennedy, has never wavered from holding those in power accountable. The suggestion to acknowledge Thomas was made on the political discussion forum Democratic Underground following a March 21 White House press conference when Thomas asked President Bush about the real reasons for going to war against Iraq. The idea received wide support among members of the online forum. More than $2,000 was quickly donated by 162 individuals in 31 states and four countries (Australia, Canada, Germany, and Great Britain).



"Helen Thomas has been asking the questions I'd like to have answered,” said helderheid, a website designer and campaign software developer in (State) who organized the flower drive. “Unfortunately, many journalists aren't following her example. Many of us who frequent Democratic Underground felt compelled to make sure Ms. Thomas knows how grateful we are to her for asking these questions and bringing to light issues that don't usually get the attention they deserve, such as the Project for a New American Century. I was more than happy to set up a donation page on my software website to help coordinate this effort."



“Helen is a true Patriot, “according to DU member PearliePoo2. “Thank you so much for giving us this opportunity to thank Helen for persisting in pursuing the truth. How difficult that must have been, particularly as she was moved to the back of the room, ignored, then excoriated in an attempt to break her spirit and get her to stop asking the tough questions. When she's in the room questioning, I always feel she carries the people's voice, ” wrote a DU member who goes by the name Suffragette.



Thomas was re-assigned to a back row seat during presidential press conferences in 2003, although she still sits in the front row during press briefings. The March 21 exchange marked the first time in three years that President Bush had called upon Thomas.



Thomas was a White House correspondent for United Press International for 57 years and now works as a syndicated columnist for Hearst Newspapers. Citizens from across the country regularly tune in to the daily White House briefings to watch how the news media questions the Bush Administration on newsworthy topics. Many have been cheering Thomas from the sidelines for her determination in asking the president and his spokespeople the questions that are on the minds of Americans but which rarely get asked.



Last year, Internet activists flooded Senator Barbara Boxer’s office with roses in a show of appreciation for her January 6, 2005 remarks challenging the results of the Ohio Electors of the 2004 presidential election.



The flowers for Thomas were purchased from Organic Bouquet in support of its organic production practices that protect the environment and improve farm worker safety.



###

[Alamom]

1. Sounds great. n/t

[notadmblnd]

12. needs a little editing.. look at the quotes from members

nevermind it's right

[katinmn]

16. Thanks. Wrote this on the fly between deadlines

There are no doubt a few typos.

[Nickster]

2. Looks great to me. Maybe just add the city/state for the florist and/or

their website?

[helderheid]

3. good idea!

[katty]

4. Very nice!!

[AllegroRondo]

5. Suggestions...

First paragraph, last line, change to:

"Money was quickly donated by individuals in 31 states and four countries (Australia, Canada, Germany, and Great Britain)."

Shows broad support without innundating the reader with numbers.

[helderheid]

7. I like this suggestion

[NMDemDist2]

23. agreed, don't mention how many DUers donated IMO n/t

[SeattleGirl]

6. Looks good to me.

I only wish I could have contributed to the flower fund, but I am literally flat broke until Friday. Oh well, my sentiments are there, and I'm so glad this is being done for Ms. Thomas.

[TexasLawyer]

8. I would change...

"Helen Thomas has been asking the questions I'd like to have answered,” said helderheid...

to

"Helen Thomas has been asking the questions that I want answered,” said helderheid

Version 1 sounds like helderheid wanted to answer the questions.

Otherwise great. And, yes, I contributed!

[helderheid]

10. I love the change - makes it a stronger statement too!

[flyarm]

20. my suggestion....

only my 2 cents..but since we want to show how many Americans and people around rhe world are concerned about our Meida's soft balling * and letting him get away with all he has gotten away with..may i make this suggestion...

in this sentence...

"Helen Thomas has been asking the questions that I want answered,” said helderheid


would adding this make it more inclusive ..

"Helen Thomas has been asking the questions that I want answered,” and many Americans citizens and citizens from all over the world want answered said helderheid


just my 2 cents..and i did donate..but that doesn't matter..its simply my 2 cents...

fly

[sinkingfeeling]

9. Like it and the suggestions above.

[Synnical]

11. Um, one suggestion

Should maybe mention that the flowers were delivered to her office. "showered with 100 dozen roses from complete strangers" rather reads like she was pelted with roses by strangers on the street - which may or may not be a pleasant experience. :)

Other than that, very nice. Thanks so much.

[mopinko]

19. complete strangers-

i think "her fans" or "fans from the blogosphere".
we are not friends, but we do know her, in a way. not quite "complete" strangers.

[Mojorabbit]

13. Part of me

does not like the idea of a press release. It makes me think she will feel we did this just for a pr reason and not because she is the best.

[cucas87]

14. Me too

I'm a longtime lurker and new poster who made a very small contribution to the rose fund. I too would prefer that there be no press release. I don't want to take away from what Helen did on her own -- or what we did (thanks to some very organized people here) for her. Also, I don't know how she would feel about the press release.

[hwmnbn]

18. Welcome to DU, cucas87 ....

and thanks for joining in. :hi:

[newyawker99]

61. Hi cucas87!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[katinmn]

15. I thought of that as well as the argument that she was just doing her job

I appraoch this as a way to further recognize her and show that we hold her in high esteem.

Might send a message to the resporters who are self censoring way too much.

[Senator]

24. Natural reaction, however...

...a press release is really just a courtesy to other journalists -- who might like to report the event for public interest.

As a news consumer, I would be interested to know that Ms. Thomas is getting recognized for her work. I'm sure others would be too.

This is simply a mechanism to make that possible.

Remember, this is the euphemedia we're dealing with. If they're not spoon-fed, they just dribble.

--

[land of the free]

38. then let HER send out a press release if she wants one.

making a press release makes it about DU, and draws attention to a liberal group "showering her" with a pricey gift.

I can't stress enough how much this would upset me if I were Helen Thomas. The roses are a very nice gesture. Turning it into a PR stunt that could backfire against her would be terrible.

[Hekate]

59. Right--this needs to be put out there; it shows there IS support for Helen

Several days ago I read an op-ed by Jonah Goldberg that opened with this choice observation:

> THE BEST MOMENT of political theater at the president's news
> conference this week came when that thespian carbuncle of bile,
> Helen Thomas, hung a question mark at the end of a diatribe.
> The "dean" of the White House press corps all but called President
> Bush a lying warmonger who invaded Iraq for no legitimate reason.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-goldberg23mar23,0,3678385.column?coll=la-news-comment-opinions

I nearly spit my coffee all over the newspaper -- with laughter. My one thought was, "A 'thespian carbuncle of bile'?! Who the hell is Jonah Goldberg to pass judgment on the grande dame of American journalism?"

Yes, people in Washington -- politicians and press corps -- should know that she actually has many admirers. She could have just retired in disgust 5 years ago, but she's sticking to her journalistic guns. I hope she enjoys the roses.

Hekate

edited to add link and exact quote

[katinmn]

60. Thanks. I agree that it is newsworthy.

The release just provides the background facts.

[land of the free]

37. I agree that a Press Release would be wrong.

She may not want the negative media attention this would draw.

This could be used as an example of how she's a "liberal journalist". It could also open up questions of what other gifts she may have received from admirers.

I know I expressed this concern in the first thread when you discussed whether it was appropriate to give her the flowers. But, I do think this bears repeating.

If you do this nice gesture, it doesn't need to be made into a press release that could embarass or annoy her. If you simply appreciate the work she's been doing for her career, then send her the flowers along with a note. Making a press release makes it about DU instead of about her work, and that's not right.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

63. Hold the realease until needed (also don't forget the aftermath)

I would suggest contacting all media today to let them know what's going to happen (they love "good news" stories with great visuals). This will allow the t.v. folks time to get set up for the images of the roses arriving. Leave them a contact number, and if they request more information then e-mail them the press release.

Elsewise it looks like we're doing it for the publicity and not to show our appreciation for a job well done.

BTW, has anyone made arrangements with Helen's office or local activist groups to distribute the roses to local nursing homes, etc. after she gets them? No point in letting them sit around just wilting once the initial impact has been made.

[Coexist]

17. looks great.

[Senator]

21. Couple of nitpicks - one important thing

I would suggest "gratitude" instead of "support." Less political, more emotional.

Also, I'd at least add "similarly flooded" to the Boxer line to make the connection explicit.

More seriously, the Boxer event did go far beyond "remarks." I would do it >>

Last year, Internet activists similarly flooded Senator Barbara Boxer’s office with roses in a show of support for her historic, formal objection to the 2004 Presidential Electors from the State of Ohio.

(Yes, it's a pet peeve: www.january6th.org)

--

[NMDemDist2]

26. I think those are all good suggestions, esp the Boxer line n/t

[NMDemDist2]

22. it should be "DemocraticUnderground.com" all together with the .com

other than that it's great!

[uppityperson]

25. democraticunderground.com rather than Democratic Underground

"162 individuals"---change to "people", the number isn't necessary.
People in the USA donated also (5 countries), I know, "32 states" means the USA, but it is confusing to me.

Otherwise, it looks very good. Thank you for doing this.

[phylny]

27. A few things:

“Helen is a true Patriot, “according to DU member PearliePoo2.

There are several quotation marks in this release are formatted, or using "smartquotes" which will come up on some readers as only random marks, not quotes. It even came up oddly on my spell checker here. So, you need to go through and change the formatting, or write it in "text" only.

In addition, the quote needs to be after the comma, not before the according. See the difference below:

“Helen is a true Patriot, “according to DU member PearliePoo2.
"Helen is a true Patriot," according to DU member PearliePoo2.

----

Secondly, I have a problem with this sentence:

Many have been cheering Thomas from the sidelines for her determination in asking the president and his spokespeople the questions that are on the minds of Americans but which rarely get asked.

The "many" is very editorial. It reminds me of the Republican tactic, "Some have said...."

Why not change it to "Many regular posters on democraticunderground.com" or "Many posters who visit blogs and websites" or something like that?

To me, it makes it a bit more "real."

Hope this helps :)

[helderheid]

28. DU, you rock and all the suggestions are GOLDEN. I rarely agree with

all y'all - but on the suggested changes I am really liking them. :) Thanks everyone!

[goclark]

41. Sounds wonderful to me, great job helderheid!

[xiamiam]

29. i snipped and added one line..tell me to go fly a kite if im overstepping

i think it should be about Helen...edited the first paragraph to not say how many from du or how much...agree with the above suggestions about the next couple of paragraphs..snipped the line about citizens watching press briefings...added the line, Although she has been called the Dean of the White House Press Corp, Thomas was reassigned...and one last thing, I dont know if mentioning Barbara Boxer is necessary...I thought it was a little wordy...i loved that we did that but I just dont think its necessary..my opinion only...other than that...thank you very much for all of your work...and for putting this together...please forgive...just feel soo much a part of this i wanted to throw in my 2 cents..

ST. PAUL, MN – (March 30, 2006) – In a rare show of public support for a member of the national news media, Helen Thomas today was showered with 100 dozen roses from complete strangers.



Thomas, the veteran journalist who has covered every president since John F. Kennedy, has never wavered from holding those in power accountable. The suggestion to acknowledge Thomas was made on the political discussion forum Democratic Underground following a March 21 White House press conference when Thomas asked President Bush about the real reasons for going to war against Iraq...snip. Individuals in 31 states and four countries (Australia, Canada, Germany, and Great Britain) quickly contributed.



"Helen Thomas has been asking the questions I'd like to have answered,” said helderheid, a website designer and campaign software developer in (State) who organized the flower drive. “Unfortunately, many journalists aren't following her example. Many of us who frequent Democratic Underground felt compelled to make sure Ms. Thomas knows how grateful we are to her for asking these questions and bringing to light issues that don't usually get the attention they deserve, such as the Project for a New American Century. I was more than happy to set up a donation page on my software website to help coordinate this effort."



“Helen is a true Patriot, “according to DU member PearliePoo2. “Thank you so much for giving us this opportunity to thank Helen for persisting in pursuing the truth. How difficult that must have been, particularly as she was moved to the back of the room, ignored, then excoriated in an attempt to break her spirit and get her to stop asking the tough questions. When she's in the room questioning, I always feel she carries the people's voice, ” wrote a DU member who goes by the name Suffragette.



(Although she is called the Dean of the White House Press Corp),Thomas was re-assigned to a back row seat during presidential press conferences in 2003, although she still sits in the front row during press briefings. The March 21 exchange marked the first time in three years that President Bush had called upon Thomas.



Thomas was a White House correspondent for United Press International for 57 years and now works as a syndicated columnist for Hearst Newspapers. --snip--. Many have been cheering Thomas from the sidelines for her determination in asking the president and his spokespeople the questions that are on the minds of Americans but which rarely get asked.



Last year, Internet activists flooded Senator Barbara Boxer’s office with roses in a show of appreciation for her January 6, 2005 remarks challenging the results of the Ohio Electors of the 2004 presidential election.



The flowers for Thomas were purchased from Organic Bouquet in support of its organic production practices that protect the environment and improve farm worker safety.

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

32. This one looks the best to me

Minus this line~ Last year, Internet activists flooded Senator Barbara Boxer’s office with roses in a show of appreciation for her January 6, 2005 remarks challenging the results of the Ohio Electors of the 2004 presidential election.~

Organic Bouquet also donates a portion of each purchase to Amnesty International, no?

It's all good whatever you all go for, so happy to have been involved in this one.
I wasn't here for the Boxer one!
:cry:

[helderheid]

35. Dean of the White House Press Corp - I like it!

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

30. I Think The Part About Barbara Isn't Necessary.

I know some would disagree, but this is explicitly to honor Helen. I think this should stay focused on our gratitude for her honesty in reporting. Though Barbara is literally my favorite Senator, Helen is a reporter, not a politician. I think maybe the inclusion of Barbara's challenge to the Ohio slate of electors puts the focus on Helen as left wing leaning rather than the fact she simply spoke up with courage and honesty. The inclusion of it also carries no relevance to the rest of the release, other than to show there was some other time once that someone received roses as well. I just think the only honorable effort that needs to be addressed in this release is that of Helen's itself.

Just a suggestion though, either way I can't wait to see the pictures!

[xiamiam]

33. i agree about the boxer line for your reasons exactly...nt

[helderheid]

34. really good point. This is Helen's day.

[hootinholler]

36. I thought so too at first, but...

I think the reference should read:

This gesture was inspired by a similar gesture which showered Senator Barbara Boxer with roses shortly after her principled stand challenging Ohio's electoral votes in January, 2005.

-=-=-=-=

Doing that establishes a pattern. We can begin to create a buzz by sending random things either showing support (like flowers) or disapproval like maybe sending quarts of oil to Cheney, or copies of the constitution to *, or other appropriate things that show WE are watching.

-Hoot

[helderheid]

44. oh you're good!

[hootinholler]

48. Thanks.

You're not too shabby either ;)

OnEdit: The first gesture in the above should be action or some other synonym, poor form to use the duplicate word so close together, bad flow.

-Hoot

[katinmn]

52. I thought it was interesting to point out that this has been done before

in one other instance by this same group.

[Senator]

55. I would agree, except

for the words "inspired by." It implies a different source for each event which undercuts the pattern/buzz impression.

--

[hootinholler]

65. Yes I agree.

It should be phrased as a continuation not an inspiration.

-Hoot

[suziedemocrat]

31. Awesome!!! Fantastic first line?

How did she write that? It's soooo perfect!

[Rainscents]

39. Excellent and love it!

K & R !!! :kick:

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

40. sub-title... Red Roses for a Blue Lady

[IdaBriggs]

64. I disagree -- she's a journalist, and therefore she needs to be PURPLE.

I don't want her giving EITHER side a free pass; I want her ALWAYS questioning those in power. To imply that she is "blue" would be to leave her open to charges of being biased.

Just my not so humble opinion, of course. :)

[suffragette]

42. Wow. You quoted me.

I'm blushing (dare I say it?) like a rose.
:blush:

You are such a sweetie, helderheid.

Thanks again for doing this for Helen.

[helderheid]

43. hee! Well thank katinmn for writing the press release!! She did a great

job and with practically no notice!

[suffragette]

45. Thanks to katinmn

Well done and in such a short time.

Ok, this calls for a big old
:grouphug:

[katinmn]

50. Thanks!

:) :hug:

[Harper_is_Bush]

46. I don't think it's smart to be sending flowers to journalists.

When it's organized by a liberals and democrats from political websites it leaves her wide open for swift-boating.

She'll do her job without flowers. Send the flower money to people who need it.

[helderheid]

47. Too late

[Harper_is_Bush]

49. Next time.

[helderheid]

51. We've discussed this in the various threads on this subject - this doesn't

have to take away from any other causes. This is about Helen and thanking her. The woman deserves an office filled with roses. She deserves more than that but at least we can say we gave her that much. We will continue to raise and donate money to other causes but please don't rain on Helen's parade. She deserves a colorful rose filled one.

[katinmn]

53. She's already been swift-boated to hell and back.

This is a show of support for a journalist with more than 60 years of reporting under her belt. She's right up there with Walter Chronkite in my opinion. She's also a rare person who speaks truth to power.

We bitch about the media all the time. Why not acknowledge someone who is doing their job?

[helderheid]

54. AMEN!

[troubleinwinter]

57. It is a gesture of thanks from some citizens to a patriot.

WTF is wrong with that? Nothing. It's some flowers to indicate appreciation and respect for her pursuit of truth.

Not like cutting a check to Abramoff to 'work' someone.

Would you tell protesters not to use money for paint and cardboard, to save gas money, stay home and send the money to "people who need it", because faux news will swift-boat them by calling them hippies or RW will call them commies? Fuck the swift-boaters.

We need people of honor like Helen. They try to marginalize her all the time. That's why we should acknowledge this patriot.

I think it is a vitally important message to acknowledge that there are people who DO care about what Helen does in asking what needs to be asked.

"Send the money to people who need it"? The flowers are grown, picked and packed by workers/employees.. you know, "people who need" work. Have you checked their site? I thought we wanted to support workers and socially responsible companies.

"In 2004 Organic Bouquet furthered its vision for a better and more sustainable future by broadening our product selection to include flowers grown under additional certification standards. These include farming and harvesting methods such as bio dynamic, green label, and wildcrafted. Each of these practices aims to improve the quality of farm working conditions, minimize damage to ecosystems, conserve biodiversity, and enhance environmental quality for future generations. Please look for the certification that denotes the farming method utilized on each product that is featured on our website.

We at Organic Bouquet believe it is our responsibility to demonstrate that business, social, and environmental interests can be successfully aligned. Our hope is to be a shining example of how the confluence of these interests can work to build a better and more sustainable future for all living beings of this beautiful planet"

Have you read about the organizations they support? To name just a few:

--National Wildlife Federation, America's largest private nonprofit conservation organization protecting wildlife

--American Humane Association, dedicated to the prevention of cruelty, abuse, neglect, and exploitation of children and animals

--America's Second Harvest, the largest domestic hunger-relief organization in the US. They secure and distribute nearly 2 billion pounds of food and grocery products through their Network of more than 200 regional food banks and food-rescue organizations.

Read these threads and their comment about union vs. nonunion shipping companies.

What is up with the nay-saying? Get off it. There must be other things for you to be concerned about, other than a group of individuals joining together to send roses from a US organic company with good employment and socially responsible business practices to acknowledge a person of honor and character. Those who donated did it because they wanted to. Bother yourself with congress who spends your money on bad things.

Gads.

[Harper_is_Bush]

67. I explained what I thought was wrong with it.

I said it left her open to swiftboating.

In other words, it threatens her credibility.

Let's say that she becomes referred to as the journalist who is sent flowers by "liberal websites".
That's what she then becomes known as to "some" people.

[troubleinwinter]

68. A line in the sand against swiftboatersand censoring truth.

In a November 2002 talk at MIT, Thomas revealed: "I censored myself for 50 years when I was a reporter. Now I wake up and ask myself, 'Who do I hate today?'"

Two months later, the answer to that question revealed itself in an off-the-record comment to a reporter from the Torrance, California Daily Breeze following the Society of Professional Journalists annual awards banquet. "This is the worst President ever. He is the worst President in all of American history."

I cannot see 'censoring' our desire to honor and acknowledge a true patriot for fear of what "some" might say. She does not seem to be fearful of speaking her mind, and she deserves public acknowledgment of her courage.

I do not care to bow to swiftboaters or fear. I am sure she does not choose to, either.

[Maddy McCall]

56. The paragraph quoting you.

It's just TMI. Please don't take it the wrong way--it just seems self-serving--especially the part of the quote about you setting up a donation page on your website.

You can get by with doing a press release on this without it looking like it's meant to benefit DU and DUers as much as it is meant to be an expression of gratitude to Helen IF you go to pains to avoid such appearances.

Also, grammatical structure on the first sentence is wrong. Since it was complete strangers, and not Helen, doing the showering, it should say, "In a rare show of public support for a member of the national news media, complete strangers showered Helen Thomas with 100 dozen roses today." Again--words like "showered" are considered ornate prose and not good form for press releases.

I'm not involved in this, but I can't resist a thread asking for someone to proof a write-up. I've done many, many, many of those things in the past for governmental agencies.

Again, hope my 2-cents didn't offend. Just telling you what I would do to make it more sound, if you are certain that you want to release a press item on this.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

58. I personally don't care for a press release. I donated money for the

sheer love of Helen and don't feel that we have to make a public statement. I felt this was between us and Helen. By publicizing this, we appear to be using her.

[bleever]

62. If I may quote Jon Stewart:

"Me likey."

Great editing suggestions. What an excellent bunch of people.


:yourock:

[NastyRiffraff]

66. If you don't like the idea of roses for Helen....

Start a thread for people to donate to the issue/candidate/etc. of your choice. Nobody/s stopping you. That's what helderheid did, and the result is thousands of roses for a journalist we all admire and want to thank.

No one was forced to donate, and I know I, as well as others, have and will donate to charities and campaigns. We did it as a gesture of gratitude to a true journalist.

Please stop telling people what they should do with their money.