The Presidents vs. the Press

I’m usually more of a romantasy girl when it comes to books, but I had to buy this book for a class and it was very interesting. Definitely peaked my interest in historical nonfiction.

This book is sort of a snap shot of many of the president's interactions with the press starting with George Washington right up to Trump. I found a lot of very historical information on the players involved in forming the first papers in America and also learned a lot about presidents interactions that I didn't know. He covers a LOT of ground so the chapters are sort of abbreviations of different administrations. Each chapter could probably be expanded into it's own book so if you are fairly well read on any one particular president you may not find anything new. However it's very well written and cronologized. I have to say it's not light reading and I had to look up quite a few words. That's always good for the vocabulary but can be a little cumberson. Overall it's worth a read....especially in these times.

I actually read this book. The presidents and the press have always been at each others' throats according to the author. Even George Washington had a hsrd time.

Preeminent Lincoln historian Harold Holzer broadens his view to examine the relationship between many of our nation's more prominent presidents and the press that covers them. While there is a tendency to view our present situation as an unfettered attack on the media, presidents have always had a contentious love/hate interconnection with newspapers and new media. John Adams's sedition acts sought to hold newspapermen liable for treason, Lincoln temporarily shut down duplicitous newspapers, and Nixon, well, Nixon had his own issues with the press. Holzer also delves into the presidents who successfully mastered new forms of communication. Abraham Lincoln made use of the new "instant communication" technology of telegraphy. FDR mastered the radio broadcast. Kennedy became a star on television. Obama made use of the power of the internet as Facebook and websites spread the news without the need of classical media intermediaries. And of course we have the current situation where a barrage of morning tweets can determine the news cycle of the day, albeit by flagrant and repeated concoctions of "alternative facts" (aka, lies). The book deals with each of eighteen presidents even handedly and insightfully. Readers will learn much that they didn't know about the past, and reinforce their biases of the present. A book well worth reading.

Seeing the history of various presidents’ relationships with the press was interesting in and of itself and really helped put the current (Trump) situation in perspective. I’m really interested in both the press and inside looks as how the White House functions, so it was especially interesting for me.