Remarks to the Winners of the Hearst Foundation Journalism Awards

Mr. Hearst, honored guests, and ladies and gentlemen:

When I first learned that Bill Hearst was coming with this distinguished group of university students and administrators and professors, I thought it would be the better part of wisdom perhaps for me to show up. Otherwise we might have gotten some rather far-out speculation as we did a little earlier in the week on the absence of one of our friends at a student meeting.

I have something of a weakness for students and graduates of journalism schools and colleges. Several of my assistants and my advisers--that includes my wife--first came to my attention through their work on campus newspapers.

Far more importantly, my esteem and regard for college journalists is reflected in the fact that I am still living with one. I have been married to one for over 30 years. While I realize such a remark might be misconstrued, I am proud to say that despite whatever you read, really some of my best friends are newspapermen and women.

Those of you that have won these awards from the Hearst Foundation--this competition-have picked a most fortunate time to enter the profession for which you are trained. This is a time of change--broad, deep, and profound change--in the role and the responsibilities of all the news media.

Technology itself is a major factor in that change, but there is far more than just that. In this changing world there is an increasingly vital role to be assumed by news media in the self-analysis, self-criticism, and self-understanding so essential to the success of the dynamic society.

I realize that some in the academic world are currently seeking to de-emphasized journalism as though it were akin to collegiate athletes.

For myself, I believe programs, such as this competition sponsored by the Hearst Foundation, fill a very valuable and a very necessary role in encouraging the quest for excellence in a profession that is very vital to our democracy.

So, if this is a good time to be entering the profession of journalism I would regard it a poor time to be leaving college. The college years were never meant to be impassive, detached, uninvolved, or uncommitted years for young people, least of all for the young people of a free society. But, along with others, I used to be concerned about the silence of our students during the fifties.

Today that is not exactly my concern anymore, as you are aware. But I do find it reassuring and somewhat encouraging--the sense of awareness and involvement and commitment that is stirring among today's student generation.

I know this is strength for freedom and for the institutions of our free democratic society now and through the years to come.

Every Tuesday when I meet with Secretary Rusk and Secretary McNamara, a former dean of faculty at Harvard, Mr. Bundy--well, my daughter who is in college comes in and gives us a tip or two on just how the world ought to be running. So I am very proud this afternoon to come here and to meet these college students and to present these awards of the Foundation.

First, we honor the University of Florida for the outstanding record of that institution's journalism students during the 7 month Hearst competition. I am now very pleased to present this gold medal to the president of Florida University, Dr. I. Wayne Reitz and to the head of the Department of Journalism, Professor Rae O. Weimer. [Presentation ]

Next, I am privileged to present the silver, second place medallion to a young man who last year received the first place award and promised me he would be back again this year. He is Mr. Hal David Hall of the University of Tennessee and lives at Lebanon.

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Finally, I present the gold, first place medal to the winner of the individual competition among the 48 accredited schools of journalism, Mr. Charles Powers of Kansas State University.

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So, congratulations to all of you, and particularly congratulations to the Hearst Foundation and the Hearst organization for this very forward-looking step.