Media is defined as “the means of communication that reach or influence people widely.” In terms of U.S politics media is used as a medium for information about multiple political policies and political figures. The Presidency specifically has been a target for media since the creation of the newspaper. As time passed, the Presidency was further publicized through the development of new technology such as the radio and television. Whether the coverage of the President is positive or negative, media outlets possess the power to determine what is being covered and in what manner the news will be delivered. The 1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states, “Congress shall make no laws…abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.” The 1st Amendment essentially protects the media, in that, there aren’t many limits to what can be published about the President; this makes media a key player in U.S politics and ultimately a powerful force. Media has enough power to be referred to as the “fourth estate” which further reiterates the power media has in politics.The Presidency can either be uplifted or belittled through media sources which shapes the public’s perception of the Presidency. The media’s influence in the presidency has expanded throughout the years through the means of: newsmaking, yellow journalism, and by allowing the President to evolve into a more powerful figure in U.S. government.
Throughout the history of the Presidency, media has assisted in gaining more powers for the Presidency. The President was not a powerful force in U.S. government; Congress held more power than any other branch in government. In the nineteenth century it was considered inappropriate for Presidents to personally campaign on their own behalf or in support of policies. The first President to break this unspoken rule was Andrew Johnson when he made numerous speeches in hopes of gaining public support for his Reconstruction program which although successful, was even shocking to his supporters. The President promoting himself and public policies is referred to as “going public,” a strategy which is used to gain support from the American people. Popular mobilization became a favorable option in expanding the powers of the President. Despite personal campaigning being considered inappropriate in the nineteenth century, Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) uses advancements in technology, that developed in the twentieth century, to his advantage. Franklin Roosevelt used the development of the radio to host “fireside chats” in which he spoke about political policies and programs. Franklin Roosevelt created a link between him and the American people which was not there before which would not have been possible without the use of media. Not only did Roosevelt comfort the American people through his “fireside chats,” but he also could be accredited with what now could be called press relations. Roosevelt made himself available for press conferences in which he answered questions on political policies which would then, in turn, give the reporters significant information to write about in their papers. The direct link Franklin Roosevelt made between him and the media then became an example for future Presidents who sought to maximize their popular appeal. The maximization of popular appeal is key to expanding the powers of the President because the President has the power to influence and persuade the American people to vote on policies in which they favor.
Fast forwarding to the twentieth century, the development of social media has further tightened the link that Franklin Roosevelt worked for. Social media is defined as “websites and other online means of communication that are used by large groups of people to share information and to develop social and professional contacts.” Websites and online applications have made it possible for the modern President to directly speak to millions of potential voters. With social media sites such as Twitter and Instagram, the modern President has far overstepped the lines drawn by the Constitution for the traditional President. The first President to use the new medium to its full potential was President Obama (Ginsenberg, Lowi, Tolbert, Weir, 2015, pg. 542). Obama’s use of the Internet completely changed how presidential campaigns would run in the future. From advertising to campaigns to communicating with constituents, the Internet became an asset to U.S. politics. Not only is the presidential campaign changed by the Internet but the Presidency as a whole. The President’s whole schedule is essentially posted on the Whitehouse.gov website. Obama had multiple media forums promote direct communications between the President and America’s citizens, “creating a network of virtual constituents,” ((Ginsenberg, Lowi, Tolbert, Weir, 2015, pg. 542). Similar to Franklin Roosevelt’s transformative change in the Presidency through media, Obama potentially changed how the Presidency may govern until another drastic change in media is developed.
The use of social media in the presidential campaign, that was set by Obama, heavily impacted the 2016 presidential election. In January of 2016, a large percentage of U.S. adults had reported learning about the 2016 presidential campaign through social media. This large percentage (44%) outweighs any other means of media, such as newspaper, in which adults learn about the presidential campaign. A Pew Research Center analysis showed that three of the presidential candidates utilized the fairly new tool to their advantage. The analysis showed that within the span of a few weeks, all three candidates shared over hundreds of tweets, posts, or comments about their campaign. On social media outlets the presidential opponents would often speak about one another, Clinton and Trump to be specific. On Twitter, Trump and Clinton often focused on each other and occasionally belittled one another but Sanders was largely unmentioned. This social media race in the presidential election could be the start of something revolutionary. Media helped strengthen the Presidency by creating a direct link between the American people and the President.
The Presidency has been strengthened through the media but one negative aspect of the media covering the President would be yellow journalism. Yellow journalism is based on exaggeration and sensualism, this style of journalism flourished before and after the 1900’s. Many newspaper outlets such as the New York Journal, New York World, and the Pulitzer’s World relied on the exaggerated headlines to sell newspapers during this era. Yellow journalism’s first significant impact would be in the Spanish-American War, its’ effect during this period had helped start the war by sensualizing events. Hearst was a key player in the Spanish-American War, he was driven by his motivation to sale his newspaper which led him to station reporters in Cuba. Hearst not only exaggerated about brutality and cruelty but he used the sinking of the Maine as a way to drive America to war; Hearst knew if a war were to take place then he could sell even more newspapers covering and sensualizing the war. All it took was exaggeration of events to convince the public that a war was necessary. Hearst was the first to control politics through yellow journalism and became an example to media outlets on how to sway the public’s attention and opinion. Yellow journalism has since then expanded upon more issues and, in recent years, has focused on the bringing attention to the President.
Many media outlets have the power to shed light to particular issues in hopes of bringing about reaction. Media outlets use the strategy, called agenda setting, to consistently bring attention to one or two issues revolving around the President. This strategy is a powerful tool because the average American who is being told over and over again of an issue will ultimately believe it to be the truth. This is not the only issue when dealing with agenda setting, most Americans do not do any further research on the information they are being told by media sources so the likelihood of an American to get a story that contains all facts and is completely unbiased is far from possible. Although the media has significant power over agenda setting, the President has the capability to influence the nation’s political agenda.
In regards to the President, one issue which media deemed “newsworthy,” is the topic of foreign policy. Foreign policy constantly has multiple policies existing at one time but the President has the influence through presidential agenda setting to bring attention to a particular policy in which he favors.