US Presidency
1941

To all newspapers and radio stations, all those who reach the eyes and ears of the American people, I say this: You have a most grave responsibility to the nation now and for the duration of this war. If you feel that your Government is not disclosing enough of the truth, you have every right to say so. But in the absence of all the facts, as revealed by official sources, you have no right in the ethics of patriotism to deal out unconfirmed reports in such a way as to make people believe that they are gospel truth. Every citizen, in every walk of life, shares this same responsibility. The lives of our soldiers and sailors, the whole future of this nation, depend upon the manner in which each and every one of us fulfills his obligation to our country. Now a word about the recent past and the future.