Proclamation 4009—National Newspaper Week, 1970

In observing National Newspaper Week each year, the American people pay tribute to the dedicated men and women whose journalism can do so much to enrich our national life. At the same time, the nation honors the American tradition of a free and responsible press.

America's great cities have a newspaper tradition that long provided information and entertainment while remaining aggressive, honest, and free from government domination. Our towns and rural areas have an equally proud tradition: that of the local daily or weekly paper which covers news of primarily local interest and records as well as the countless incidents of generosity, compassion, and service which are such rewarding features of life in our smaller communities.

Our newspaper heritage is not a luxury, and it is not out of sentimentality that I call attention to it. The freedom and vitality of our newspapers are essential to safeguard our liberty and preserve the values of our society. It is the responsibility of journalists and readers alike to ensure that the freedom of the press which America enjoys today is protected and extended, and I believe that this can best be accomplished by furthering the use of that freedom in imaginative and responsible ways.

Now, Therefore, I, Richard Nixon, President of the United States of America, do hereby designate the week beginning October 4, 1970, as National Newspaper Week. I call upon all Americans to observe the week with appropriate activities, to honor those who serve their country through the medium of newspapers, and to seek opportunities to enhance the great tradition of a free and responsible press.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-fifth day of September, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred seventy, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred ninety-fifth.

RICHARD NIXON