The Press and the Modern Presidency: Myths and Mindsets from Kennedy to Clinton

Did Kennedy really win in 1960 because of a televised debate? Was the Iranian hostage crisis really the cause of Jimmy Carter's defeat in 1980? How does Watergate affect Americans today? Was Ronald Reagan a "Great Communicator"? This book addresses these questions and more as it reveals how many myths about the press and the presidency have been engendered in the years since Camelot. It is a careful examination of the presidency and its interaction with the press over the last four decades. This book looks at the presidency, elections, the media, and national and international events as they evolved from 1960 to 1997, explaining how trends in press coverage developed and how the presidency was affected.