Franklin D. Roosevelt

Letter on the Freedom of the Press.

April 13, 1934

My dear Mr. Connolly:

A press association, collecting and disseminating news, enjoys a prominent place and exercises a tremendous influence in its field of operations. That it has functioned always without fear or favor, exercising the responsibilities for clean, factual and intelligent reporting, should be a matter of great pride to its builders, and its world-wide staff of workers.

I do not believe it would be amiss here for me to say that I personally find high satisfaction in the knowledge that it is possible in this land of ours for anyone to establish a newspaper or a news service and to enjoy the freedom of operation guaranteed by our fathers and which, I am glad to say, still prevails. I am glad, too, that our Government never has seen fit to subsidize a newspaper or a news service and I dare to make the prediction that it never will.

Very sincerely yours,

Mr. Joseph V. Connolly,

President, International News Service, Inc.,

New York, N. Y.

Franklin D. Roosevelt, Letter on the Freedom of the Press. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/208571

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