[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 135 (Thursday, September 26, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H11233]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                JUST SAY NO TO UNAUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHIES

  (Mr. LAZIO of New York asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LAZIO of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about trust 
and the violation of privacy. Two highly publicized unauthorized 
biographies, one to be written by a Democratic consultant and another 
by a Republican consultant, are examples of a problem that transcends 
partisan politics and resonates throughout our culture.
  We are a nation that values an individual's right to privacy, yet 
time and time again unauthorized books are written based on rumor and 
innuendo that purport to expose the private lives of public figures for 
all to see.
  There was a time, Mr. Speaker, when trust and loyalty were cherished 
and truly personal matters were kept private. But today, if pecuniary 
interests are at stake, anything is fair game. This is symbolic of the 
lack of discretion and respect that is permeating our society and 
contributes to a breaking down of integrity in relationships. In the 
end analysis, sensationalism sells, truth is denigrated, and all 
unauthorized biographies become suspect.
  Our courts may find that unauthorized biographies filled with 
inaccuracies and insinuations cannot be prohibited in our free society. 
However, we can just say no and refuse to buy them. Perhaps then, 
without profit to publish, this rubbish will disappear from our 
culture.

                          ____________________