Christiane Amanpour Schools Kyra Phillips Over Helen Thomas Comment (VIDEO)

Christiane Amanpour offered Kyra Phillips a history lesson when she questioned whether Helen Thomas could remain objective about President Obama after he surprised her with birthday cupcakes, a song, and a kiss Tuesday afternoon.

"How is she gonna cover the President objectively here, when he came out, sat next to her, gave her a smooch, cupcakes?" Phillips said.

"I'm gonna make a comment on what you said," Amanpour told Phillips. "I'm going to refer you all the way back to the Nixon administration when he came out in the press room and congratulated her on being named the first female dean of the White House press corps. And she had no problem continuing to be highly objective, and responded respectfully by asking him a very tough question on the ongoing Watergate affair. So I think Helen Thomas has definitely earned her stripes in the credibility department."

Watch:

Comments

[tmo7734]

01:59 PM on 08/06/2009

Unfortunately, Kyra is like many newscasters these days: attractive but a lightweight journalist. In contrast, Helen Thomas has earned her stripes as a knowledgeable, hard hitting reporter.

[foxycontin]

01:52 PM on 08/06/2009

Cristiane kicks ass!

[HerbTee]

01:40 PM on 08/06/2009

I completely stopped watching CNN (the "Clinton News Network" as I saw them back then) regularly during the 2008 primaries as they were so obviously in the tank for the Clintons and against Obama. Most often, other than occasionally watching AC 360 and Fareed Zakaria on Sundays, I avoid CNN like the plague. I wish Christiane Amanpour would move to PBS, the History Channel or Discovery where her worldly and historically accurate journalistic talents would be put to excellent use. Her talents are truly wasted with the "new" CNN of today.

[sasagapo]

05:12 AM on 08/14/2009

I share your concerns. But I would hope that CNN would keep Christiane Amanpour and Zakaria and would even consider adding some other genuine journalists. Kyra Phillips is pleasant and cute and sort of vacuous, as are most of the newscasters on CNN, but perhaps she can grow into a journalist if she keeps getting Amanpour-type gentle counseling. Or, if she can't learn to be a real journalist like Helen Thomas, maybe she could find a different career. But this is a difficult problem: we know that Fox is just the propaganda arm of the extreme right wing, but many folks who are totally disgusted with the Fox-type "fair and balanced" news do turn to CNN as well as to PBS (for those who have the access, I would suggest also Free Speech TV and Link TV (Laura Flanders and Amy Goodman)).

In any case, Christiane Amanpour will do just fine wherever she has access to the airwaves, because her reporting is so engaging and human. I sometimes suspect that there are a number of Amanpours existing right at this moment in the world, because I could swear that a few years ago she was in Gaza at the very same moment she was in London. But I sort of like that. I just witnessed her tender interactions with some Palestinian kids, gaining (sort of) their trust (thinking of Hamza). God bless her, or them, if there does happen to be more than one of her.

[Mannock]

01:26 PM on 08/06/2009

Nobody has any notion of history these days. I spent a day with an English professor explaining to him that France did not collaborate with Germany in WWI. Yes, you read it...World War ONE! Frightening...

[steppenwolfsayshi]

01:15 PM on 08/06/2009

All the pretty faces reading talking points and telepromters long forgot what journalism was.

[thinkcarefully]

12:45 PM on 08/06/2009

Just another proof of the incompetence and zero knowledge that CNN continues to demonstrate. It is sad to me that journalist like Christiane Amanpour has anything to do with CNN, I miss seeing her reports because I don't watch CNN any longer - (if I want to get my "news" from twitter I can read them myself I don't need to watch CNN people read them for me).

I am astonished with everybody on CNN - do they really believe they are doing reporting and journalism?! It is absolutely insulting to the CNN audience the way they present "news" and their "commentaries".

And I wish someone would stop the "BREAKING NEWS" craze ... to them everything is breaking news ... no difference.

[cowboyx]

12:17 PM on 08/06/2009

Did Fox news just attempt to question another reporter's ability to remain unbiased?

Hunh. How about that.

[cuardai]

12:44 PM on 08/06/2009

That was actually CNN but point taken right now there is not much difference between them...

[43P04T34]

11:26 AM on 08/06/2009

Ms. Phillips, I think you would perhaps do better as a screwdriver than as whatever it is you think you're doing in front of the cameras.

[dct1999]

10:20 AM on 08/06/2009

Kyra Phillips isn't qualified enough to do Helen Thomas' typing.

[rblaquinta]

10:06 AM on 08/06/2009

No longer watch faux cnn news.. It has become a joke.

[CrustAlmighty]

09:59 AM on 08/06/2009

I suspect Kyra is projecting her own lack of integrity.

[dkan71]

01:33 PM on 08/06/2009

Seriously. She thought Christiane would collude with her, when really what got revealed is that SHE could be bought off with a cupcake and a kiss on the cheek from our super sexy president.

And then she tried to defend herself. Just an embarrassing display of how little professional integrity matters to many of the pretty faces that read the news.

[enh8g2]

09:51 AM on 08/06/2009

I get a little irritated when people at the CNN news desk make comments like that. They are paid to deliver the news not give commentary, leave that to the other folks.

[Lerrin]

03:34 PM on 08/06/2009

Agreed.

I really don't care what vacuous comments or opinions that they have- just give me the OBJECTIVE facts and get OUT of the way, please.
But reporters today spend more time shaping their own personal brand rather than ACTUAL journalism. They care more about the projection of their personal brand than the product they deliver.
Classic example: Maria Menounos pitching for NBC, the Today Show, and PANTENE (unbelievable!). Yeah, I know she's entertainment, but isn't the Today Show still under the news umbrella?

They're all positioning themselves for the next opportunity- whether it be news or entertainment or reality show, and they keep making provocative statements, etc. in an effort to get a 'hit' that makes them stand out from all of the other vacuous pretty faces.

It's like watching the minor leagues- have to endure them whiffing at X number at bats before they finally hit one out of the park and land a job 'up' the ladder.

Not exactly Cronkites

[LaPoesie]

09:43 AM on 08/06/2009

"How is she gonna cover the President objectively here, when he came out, sat next to her, gave her a smooch, cupcakes?"

...because cnn & kyra philips know sooooooooo much about objective reporting?

maybe kyra philips would be swayed one way or another if a man brought her cupckaes & gave her a kiss on the cheek (probably even less than that) but helen thomas is a real journalist.

[Navy26Yrs]

09:39 AM on 08/06/2009

I wonder if Kyra can stay objective when she worries about her hair and makeup more than delivering an objective newscast.

[rudiy]

09:23 AM on 08/06/2009

What is happening to CNN? Just recently Lou Dobbs, now Kyra Phillips. do you think that maybe MSNBC is puuting stupid pills in CNN's water?

[PaleMail]

11:11 AM on 08/06/2009

MSNBC has their own stupids.

[oldguydude]

02:06 PM on 08/06/2009

Well said and under discussed. MSNBC is a embarrasement with their lack of quality on-air talent.