The Press and the Presidency: From George Washington to Ronald Reagan

Here at last is an authoritative, full-scale history of that most ambivalent of American political relationships: the interaction between the White House and the news media. From George Washington to Ronald Reagan, the authors explore the shifting and often dangerous currents in press-president relations, showing how these currents merged at today's critical juncture.
Combining fascinating detail with trenchant commentary, Tebbel and Watts illuminate the influence of the press on presidential conduct and explain how presidents have come to manipulate the media, especially television, in ways never envisioned by the framers of the First Amendment. Seeing government control as a genuine threat to a free press, they warn of the growth of an "imperialistic" presidency that "may well be capable of nullifying the First Amendment, in a relatively short time and with public support." The authors are not biased toward either the Democrats of the Republicans, and they show that the media owners themselves bear much of the blame for placing their own freedom in peril.
In addition to offering a vigorous point of view, The Press and the Presidency is richly rewarding as narrative history. It unveils a dramatic pageant of American politics, replete with biographical and anecdotal nuggets. The authors are as vivid in discussing the press vilification that plagued Jefferson and Lincoln, as they are in describing the media manipulations of modern administrations.

About the Authors:

John Tebbel, Professor Emeritus of Journalism at New York University, has had a long and distinguished career as a journalist and educator. Among his many works is a four-volume history of book publishing in the United States.
Sarah Miles Watts is a journalist with nearly thirty years of experience, Professor of Journalism at the State University of New York, and founder and former editor of The Journalist's World, a worldwide review of journalistic events and opinions.