White House Desire: Upbeat on the News

Jan. 29, 1983

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A Presidential spokesman, Larry Speakes, proposed today that the printed and electronic press, especially the television networks, begin covering ''good news'' as a regular feature.

In a speech to the National Association of Government Communicators, an organization of career public affairs officers, the deputy White House press secretary said, ''I'd like to take a moment to tell the press how to cover the news.

Let's have a good news segment on the nightly news. Let's have Dan and Frank and Roger turn around in their chair and look dead into the camera and say, 'Now, folks, for some news on the bright side.' ''

He was speaking of Dan Rather, Frank Reynolds and Roger Mudd, the anchormen for the evening news shows of the three commercial television networks.

A version of this article appears in print on , Section 1, Page 10 of the National edition with the headline: White House Desire: Upbeat on the News. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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