How has the Media Impacted the Presidency?

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How has the Media Impacted the Presidency? Currently, the office of the United States Presidency is one of the most powerful positions in the world. The President has the power to influence Congress, the nation and the free world. However, the US Media, which is also the freest and most powerful press, has had control over the presidency. The advent of CNN, ABC, NBC and others has had the effect of being able to sway the population of the United States, either garnering support for a president or destroying his credibility. The media has permitted the spread of information, allowing the people to take a more active role in politics making the general will better known, but it has also made politicians and the public hostage to the ideas and opinions of reporters, who are often only after a gripping story and a large profit. The media has the power to sway the American public by reporting favorably or with disfavor on a candidate, thus making a presidential candidate the prisoner of entertainment companies. Thus it could be said that the American people lose their ability to truly know a candidate because of the media. Instead they vote according to what they are told by major publications rather than what they believe. In this paper, I will explore whether the Media is a valuable resource or a does it have an undue influence over the President and the American public? The media is a powerful resource for the Presidency and for the people of the United States. Justice Frankfurter, of the Supreme Court, said “A free press is indispensable to the workings of our democratic society.” He says that the American people need the media to be informed about government workings, foreign affairs, and events of importance. Without this... ... middle of paper ... ...tised by the press corp. When that becomes extreme and debates become scripted and rehearsed, ideas, free thought and expression are once again stifled. Thus, the press has a great power, but also a responsibility to use it correctly to inform the public without thought to partisanship, bias or with the idea of swaying the general will. Works Cited - 2004 Debates Contract. Fox News Network. 1 October 2004 http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,133975,00.html - News Hour with Jim Lehrer. Public Broadcasting Station. 19 September 2004 http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/white_house/july-dec98/presidency_8-13.html - The Media and Politics. Beyond Books. 19 September 2004 http://www.beyondbooks.com/gop00/4.asp - “US Presidency and Television.” Museum Archives Online 2004. http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/U/htmlU/uspresiden/uspresiden.htm

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