The President and the Media

Abstract

The relationship between the president and the media is crucial to any president’s success, particularly in this age when there is 24-hour access to news and information. The so-called news cycle doesn’t end with the later edition of the newspaper or the evening news on three major TV networks anymore. Certainly, the media is important in any democracy (or republic) where citizens need to have information in order to make educated choices among candidates for office or on ballot propositions. With 535 elected members of Congress, too many bureaucrats to count, and justices who operate more out of the public eye, the presidency, with its singular nature, is much easier to cover. As viewers of broadcast and cable news, we gain some measure of familiarity with the individuals assigned to cover the president and would no doubt have an easier time identifying a White House correspondent over one assigned to cover Congress.