Veteran White House reporter Helen Thomas retired this week due to the negative comments she made about Israel. While The Battalion does not approve of the statements made by Thomas, her opinions were not offensive enough to force her retirement.

On May 27, Thomas responded to a question posed by an interviewer for the website RabbiLIVE.com by saying Israelis should “get the hell out of Palestine.” Thomas continued by saying the Jews were occupying others’ land and they should return to Germany, Poland or even the U.S.

Although Thomas’ statement was neither tactful nor appropriate, it is important to remember she started reporting with the wire service United Press International in 1943. At 89, Thomas grew up in a world without an Israel, in a time period where anti-Semitism and racism were much more profound.
In Thomas’ defense, Palestine was a country until after World War II. As Thomas lived during several decades when the world recognized Palestine, it is understandable why she does not view Israel as a recognized country. While her comments were inappropriate and offensive, her position is not.

Instead of overreacting to every offense, Americans need to understand that as technology develops, more people are going to be recorded making off-color comments. Everyone has said something that could be construed as racist or bigoted if their conversations were recorded. Americans need to be less rigid in forcing media and public figures to always be politically correct. Those recorded in a bad moment like Thomas should be judged by the weight of their careers, rather than compelled to retire because of one bad moment in the spotlight.