January 28, 1970
Page 1722
THE CABINET EDITORS
HON. JEROME R. WALDIE OF CALIFORNIA IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Wednesday, January 28, 1970
Mr. WALDIE. Mr. Speaker, the Vice President's recent harsh words regarding the apparent lack of impartiality and fairness by this Nation's news media still echo and there is little doubt that his implied threats have had a profound effect on the ability and the willingness of news commentators and observers to freely discuss their views.
Apparently, Mr. Speaker, the Vice President's desire to act as an "editor" of the news media has proved to be catching. A recent news item in Newsweek magazine – the Periscope, January 26, 1970 – revealed that Secretary Finch of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare has also taken on some editorial duties. The article follows:
H.E.W. Secretary Robert Finch last week quietly ordered Senator Edmund Muskie's name removed from all H.E.W. pamphlets and the former Vice Presidential candidate's picture sliced out of thousands of feet of H.E.W. film. The first result of the order was the recall of a Tuberculosis and Respiratory Disease Council pamphlet with the Maine Senator's picture on the cover. Finch's order appears to be a step in an Administration drive to undercut Muskie's stature as an environmentalist and thereby blunt a possible Muskie Presidential drive in 1972.
Mr. Speaker, I think this action by Secretary Finch is quite consistent with the views on impartial press coverage expressed by the Vice President in his criticism of the Nation's press, radio, and television news services, if not to the ideals expressed by this Nation's Founding Fathers.
One further comment, Mr. Speaker, if the administration is planning to remove names and pictures of "environmentalists" from Federal publications because of political affiliations, I foresee many of these publications having great gaps – as there are few "environmentalists" sharing the same political philosophy as the administration.