Documentaries portray journalists

Tonight’s must-see

“Thank You, Mr. President: Helen Thomas at the White House” (9 p.m., HBO) and PBS’ “Documenting the Face of America,” 10 p.m., KSPS and KCDT.

Here are two stirring portraits of idealistic journalists.

Thomas beat all odds. The daughter of Syrian immigrants who couldn’t read, she grew up in Detroit and became a Washington reporter in 1943. She still is one at 86.

This is a warm documentary by Rory Kennedy whose uncle John was the first president covered by Thomas.

That’s followed by a portrait of the New Deal photographers who showed the world rural poverty. The report is fairly good; the photos are gripping.

Tonight’s must-see II

Olympics, 8 p.m. to midnight, NBC.

Track and field is taking over now, including the women’s pole vault and men’s long jump and 400-meter hurdles.

Individual gymnastics events also continue. And after 9 p.m. are the semifinals for women’s beach volleyball.

Other choices include

More Olympics. NBC also is broadcasting from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Tuesday from 12:35 a.m. to 2 a.m. Cable has USA 11 p.m. Monday to 9 a.m. Tuesday; MSNBC (2 a.m. to 2 p.m.), CNBC (9-11 p.m.) and Oxygen (2-3 a.m.).

“E.T.” (1982), 7:30-10 p.m., Family. Here’s one of the all-time great films.

“Go, Diego, Go!,” 8-9 p.m., Nickelodeon. Diego rescues the moon. Few adults will watch for long.

“The Hills” season opener, 10 p.m., MTV. Lauren Conrad and her glamorous friends (and enemies) return.

“Date My Ex: Jo & Slade,” 10 p.m., Bravo. The beautiful Jo De La Rosa chooses between a 6-foot-6 pharmacist, a hard-bodied surfer and an older guy who’s a big spender. She picks one and has the lineup for her second dates. Complicating things is a fierce dispute between one of her previous choices and her former fiance, Slade.

“Into the Unknown With Josh Bernstein,” 10 p.m., Discovery. We visit the long-ago world of gladiators, learning that some savored fame.