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The Presidency

Jeffrey Cohen, Fordham University - Bronx
David Nice, Washington State University - Pullman

The Mass Media and the Presidency

End of Chapter Questions


1		What are the major reasons that the president needs news coverage? Why is the president so important to the news media? How does this mutual need for each other affect the relationship between the president and the news media?



2		How has the evolution of the news media and the presidency affected the relationship between them? Who seemed to hold the upper hand at different points in history?



3		How did late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century presidents rekindle news media interest in the presidency? Why was news interest in the presidency so much lower earlier in the nineteenth century? In what ways have modern presidents followed the news attention practices of early twentieth-century presidents? In what ways have they changed the news attention practices of early twentieth-century presidents?



4		What impact did television have on news media-presidential relationships? How have more recent technological innovations, such as cable television and the Internet, affected presidential-media relationships? What are the implications of these modern forms of mass communication for the presidency?



5		How able is the president to influence the news about him and his activities? For instance, can he set the news media agenda and ensure that news about him is positive? What are the major devices and techniques that he possesses to influence the news? How effective are they?



6		Compare the office of Communications with the White House Press Office. Why are there two such offices in the White House? How and why has their influence waxed and waned over the years?

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