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Tony SnowJournalist, White House press secretary
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 USA |
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Biography of Tony Snow
Tony Snow was born in 1955 in Barria, Kentucky. He received his bachelor's degree in philosophy from Davidson College in North Carolina in 1977, and later studied philosophy and economics at the University of Chicago. Throughout his life, Snow held various professions including working with individuals with developmental and physical disabilities, teaching physics, geography, arithmetic, and art history in Kenya. He is also a talented musician, playing the flute, saxophone, and guitar. Snow currently resides in Virginia, and has been married since 1987, with three children, three dogs, a cat, and three guinea pigs.
Journalistic Career
Snow began his career in journalism in 1979 at the Greensboro Record newspaper in North Carolina. He then went on to work at The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Virginia, and edited the editorial commentary section in several newspapers, including the influential Washington Times. It was from The Washington Times that he transitioned to working in the White House. He initially served as the Director of Speechwriting, responsible for preparing President George H.W. Bush's speeches, and later became an assistant to the president for public affairs.
Since 1993, Snow had a syndicated column that was published in two hundred American newspapers. In 1996, he joined Fox News, where he hosted the Sunday television news and his own show, "Weekend Live with Tony Snow," as well as a radio show. His show often featured high-ranking officials, including Vice President Richard Cheney. In February 2005, Snow was diagnosed with colon cancer, a disease that had taken his mother's life in 1973. After undergoing surgery and recovering, he returned to work in April.
Appointment as White House Press Secretary
The appointment of a professional journalist as White House Press Secretary is unusual in the United States, but there have been previous examples. During President Franklin Roosevelt's administration, Stephen Early, a former Associated Press correspondent, held the position. Additionally, five of President Harry Truman's press secretaries were journalists, and President Dwight Eisenhower's press secretary had previously worked at The New York Times. President John F. Kennedy's press secretary, Pierre Salinger, and two of President Gerald Ford's press secretaries, Gerald Terhorst and Ron Nessen, were also professional journalists. However, they were mainly reporters and correspondents, while Snow had a background in analysis and commentary.
President George W. Bush attempted to address the criticism related to Snow's role by emphasizing that Snow was not afraid to express his own opinions. This statement is noteworthy because Snow had previously made sharp criticisms of President Bush, such as stating that the president had "lost control of the federal budget" and was an "obstacle" to America's progress. Nevertheless, Snow is undoubtedly someone the president can rely on. He is a deeply religious person and a staunch conservative known for his biting remarks against liberals, particularly those affiliated with the Democratic Party, and advocates of exaggerated political correctness.
In an effort to regain the trust of voters, President Bush seems to have returned to his conservative roots, and he can count on Snow's support.
