The Presidents vs. the Press: The Endless Battle between the White House and the Media--from the Founding Fathers to Fake News

by Harold Holzer

As these revolutionary ideas percolated, Agnew’s rants continued. Technically speaking, the president himself never uttered the divisive phrases Agnew mouthed during his oratorical road show. But in a sense, Nixon bears historical responsibility for every word. His speechwriters crafted them. His administration sanctioned their delivery, urged the media to cover Agnew’s appearances, and savored the results. Even while insisting that Nixon “can’t read speeches in advance,” communications director Klein admitted at the time to the Washington Post that “the President tells them which way to go.”53 And the direction in which he sent his speechwriters—and Spiro Agnew—set the rancorous tone that would permeate his entire presidency. As Pat Buchanan himself might have expressed it, Nixon became the villainous ventriloquist of venom.