A female pioneer of journalism, politics and democracy, its hard to imagine having a life like Helen Thomas’. Thomas is a White House reporter and she started covering that beat back in 1960! She’s covered every president starting with Kennedy and hasn’t backed down since. Not only has she seen the presidency change, she’s seen the press corps change - she was one of very few women covering The White House when she started.

HBO is airing what looks to be a fascinating documentary on Thomas - Thank You, Mr. President: Helen Thomas at the White House It is directed by Rory Kennedy and the trailer is below:

Honest news coverage of our politics and politicians is essential - and I have a feeling we’re getting much less then we deserve these days. The more we can highlight those who do the job well, the more folks will hopefully realize that news coverage today is severely lacking.

Go to NPR for more on the documentary and Thomas and http://www.publicintegrity.org/about/ to learn more about the Center for Public Integrity - their mission is to produce original investigative journalism about significant public issues to make institutional power more transparent and accountable.

Read on:

• Thank You, Mr. President: Helen Thomas at the White House debuts tonight
• Steve Young: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, QUEEN HELEN
• Television Review: Just a Few More Questions, Ms. Thomas