Fitzwater shares White House experiences

by Marguerite Dooley and Gianna Cacciatore
Presidency and the Press

Marlin Fitzwater said that “honesty, openness and transparency” are still as important today as they were when he was White House press secretary.

Fitzwater said that although technology has changed, the basic values of journalism have remained the same.

Despite his ten years working in the White House under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W Bush, his well known reputation, and worldwide respect, Fitzwater remained humble and approachable to the student participants.

“It was nice to meet someone so successful yet still down-to-earth. He seemed like a really inspiring, normal, and friendly guy,” said Bea Brittan, who was at the speech.

Fitzwater, who described himself as a grassroots man from Abilene, Kansas, with deep connections to his high school classmates, advised students to retain their current friendships.

“High school friends are the best; hang on to everyone of them you’ve got and never let them go,” he said.

He also regaled the crowd with humorous tales from his time at the White House.  From trembling in fear before a fist-shaking Mikhail Gorbachev to sharing dirty jokes with four former presidents, Fitzwater recalled one-of-a-kind experiences that gave the young journalists a window into White House media relations.

Fitzwater grew serious when describing the difficult balance that a press secretary must confront.

“You serve two masters – the president and the press corps,” he said.

Though Fitzwater admitted that the president’s opinion came first, he made it clear that being explicit and direct with the media is almost equally important.