“The American people don’t believe anything until they see it on television” is a quotation by American politician Richard Nixon (1913-1994) that has been featured at the Newseum in Washington, DC. Versions of the 1994 quotation vary slightly.
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“Nixon recalled that his polling numbers were fairly solid for months after the 1972 Watergate break-in. But the TV hearings were devastating. ‘The American people don’t believe anything’s real until they see it on TV,’ Nixon told (Roger—ed.) Stone, a longtime friend and adviser” was printed in the Washington (DC) Post on April 27, 1994.
American political consultant Roger Stone wrote in the New York (NY) Times on April 28, 1994: “‘The American people don’t believe anything’s real until they see it on television,’ he (Nixon—ed.) said.”
Stone changed the quote slightly when writing in Newsweek (New York, NY) on May 2, 1994: “‘The American people don’t believe anything until they see it on television,’ he said.”
“The American people don’t believe anything until they see it on television”—without the word “real”—is the most popular form of the quotation.
Wikipedia: Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) was an American politician who served as the 37th president of the United States from 1969 until his resignation in 1974. The only president to resign from the office, he previously served as the nation’s 36th vice president from 1953 to 1961, and as a representative and senator from California.
27 April 1994, Washington (DC) Post, “Nixon’s Take on Clinton and Whitewater” by Al Kamen, pg. A21, col. 1:
A week before his stroke, Richard M. Nixon observed that President Clinton’s good polling numbers don’t mean Whitewater is behind him.
On the contrary, Nixon told Washington lobbyist and Republican partisan Roger Stone, the polls could change dramatically - and for the worse - when televised hearings begin.
Nixon recalled that his polling numbers were fairly solid for months after the 1972 Watergate break-in. But the TV hearings were devastating.
“The American people don’t believe anything’s real until they see it on TV,” Nixon told Stone, a longtime friend and adviser.
28 April 1994, New York (NY) Times, “Nixon on Clinton” by Roger Stone, pg. A23, col. 3:
He (Richard Nixon—ed.) thought the Whitewater affair could pose serious problems. When I pointed out that the poll numbers reflected no damage to Mr. Clinton’s popularity, Mr. Nixon observed that Watergate had not hurt him either, until the televised Senate hearings. “The American people don’t believe anything’s real until they see it on television,” he said. “When Whitewater hearings are televised, it will be Clinton’s turn in the bucket.”
2 May 1994, Newsweek (New York, NY), “Remembrances” (or Richard Nixon), pg. 30, col. 3:
ROGER STONE
REPUBLICAN PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONSULTANT
(...) (Col. 4—ed.)
We spoke three times in the week before his stroke. He was intensely interested in the political repercussions from the Whitewater affair. When poll numbers seemed to indicate that it was having little effect on Clinton’s popularity, he told me that Watergate made no impact until the televised hearings. “The American people don’t believe anything until they see it on television,” he said. “Eighty percent of the people get their news from TV and when Whitewater hearings are televised it will be Clinton’s turn in the bucket.”
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Nafeesa Syeed
@NafeesaSyeed
At @newseum, Nixon quote, “The American people don’t believe anything until they see it on television.”
11:37 AM · Sep 18, 2013·Photos on iOS
Google Books
Nixon’s Secrets: The Rise, Fall, and Untold Truth about the President, Watergate, and the Pardon
By Roger Stone with Mike Colapietro
New York, NY: SKyhorse Publishing
1994
Pg. ?:
“The American people don’t believe anything’s real until they see it on television,” Nixon would tell me.
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Freedom From Mental Slavery
· September 9, 2016 ·
“The American people don’t believe anything until they see it on television.” Richard Nixon, U.S. president .. Brainwashed generations.
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Alex Gibney
@alexgibneyfilm
Richard Nixon: “The American people don’t believe anything until they see it on television.”
11:47 AM · Nov 20, 2016·Twitter Web Client
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NancyDrew Investigations
@NancydrewI
“The American people do not believe anything until they see it on TV"__Richard Nixon
8:48 AM · Jan 14, 2019·Twitter Web Client