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For Immediate ReleaseOctober 6, 2003 Contacts: David Ottalini, 301 405 4076 or dottalin@umd.edu Spiro Agnew
The 30th Anniversary of His Resignation As Vice President
Known for his fiery criticism of the press, Agnew pulled few punches against Vietnam War demonstrators or other administration critics. But in late October, 1973, facing criminal charges for accepting bribes while governor, Agnew resigned from office. He pleaded no contest to a charge of failing to report income, was sentenced to three years' probation and fined $10,000. He was also disbarred in Maryland. Agnew died in 1996.
Agnew in History
Credentials - Professor Olson has published two books, including The G.I. Bill, the Veterans, and the Colleges, which was runner-up for the Frederick Jackson Turner Prize of the Organization of American Historians. He has also published numerous articles and has just completed a book about Watergate. His current research project is about President Eisenhower and civil rights.
Parry-Giles Says:
"Spiro T. Agnew's resignation is often lost in the turmoil surrounding the painful events of Watergate. Yet his campaign against the U.S. news
media during the Vietnam War still resonates, especially among those who covered the war. In a recent press conference, Secretary of
Defense Donald Rumsfeld emphasized all the good that has come from the U.S. efforts in that war torn country. In listening to his press
conference, I heard echoes of Spiro T. Agnew's famous line: "In the United States today, we have more than our share of the nattering nabobs
of negativism." If the war in Iraq continues on its current trajectory, we might expect the spirit of Agnew to rise once again, as the Bush
administration reminds the U.S. news media and the democratic presidential candidates that in times of international conflict, we are
to remain unified."
Credentials - author, The Rhetorical Presidency, Propaganda, and the Cold War, 1945-1955
Rieder Says: Spiro Agnew's pounding of the press was an important element of the Nixon
administration's efforts to portray the news media as a liberal cabal. That
way the administration could dismiss critical press coverage as ideological
rather than straight-down-the-middle reporting. While ultimately that
shoot-the-messenger approach couldn't save Nixon (or Agnew himself) from being
punished for their misconduct, it helped create the notion of the "liberal
media" that persists to this day. Some believe fear of being tagged liberal
has caused some news organizations to pull their punches in coverage of the
Bush administration, at a time when the right dominates talk radio and the
pundit shows on cable TV news channels.
Credentials - editor of and a columnist for The American Journalism Review since 1991. A long-time media watchdog and critic, Rieder has held senior editing positions at a number of major newspapers, including The Washington Post (deputy metropolitan editor), The Miami Herald (national editor and city editor) and Milwaukee Journal (assistant managing editor/news). He also has served as executive editor of States News Service in Washington D.C. He has taught journalism ethics and other media courses at Maryland.
Credentials - Prof. Gomery is the author of 10 books and more than 600 articles covering the economics and history of the mass media. He has written for publications including the Baltimore Sun, Village Voice and Woodrow Wilson Quarterly.
Spiro Agnew Attacks News Coverage - November 13, 1969
(Courtesy - The History Channel)(Requires Real Player)
"I'm not asking for government censorship... I'm asking whether a form of censorship already exists when the news that 40 million Americans receive each night is determined by a handful of men responsible only to their corporate employers."
"The government at Washington does live. It lives in the pages of our Constitution and in the hearts of our citizens, and there it will always be safe."
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 Information provided by the Office of University CommunicationsEmail University Communications at emailum@umd.edu |
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COLLEGE PARK - 30 years ago - on October 10, 1973 - Spiro T. Agnew became only the second vice president ever to resign from office, and the first to resign while under criminal investigation. Until his death, Agnew maintained he was innocent of the federal tax evasion and corruption charges leveled against him. A former Baltimore County executive and Maryland governor, Agnew was chosen by Richard Nixon as his running mate in 1968. They won that presidential election and were reelected in a landslide in 1972.
Virtually all of Agnew's vice presidential papers (and some other papers) are located in the Hornbake Library here at the University of Maryland. In addition, the library holds a large collection of memorabilia from Agnew's time as vice president. Among them, a portrait made entirely of feathers, a punching bag in his likeness and much more. Please see the pictures, links and interview below for more information.
Rem Rieder: editor and senior vice president, American Journalism Review (published by the University of Maryland)![](../images/journalism/gomery.jpg")
