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What many experts had deemed as the trial of the century was finally coming to an end. After a lengthy trial that had been broadcast on television almost in entirety, the O.J. Simpson murder trial had reached its climax. As the American public anxously waited to hear the verdict, the coverage of the case was interupted. What could so important as to bump the Simpson case conclusion out of the time slot. This event that many of the networks found to be that important was President Clinton’s State of the Union Address.

This example shows the importance that has been placed on media coverage of the President. Although one of the biggest stories of the year was unfolding, many networks had no problem overlooking looking the Simpson case to air the annual speech to Congress by the President (Budiansky, 1). With the evolution of media tools and the changing relationship between the President and the press, covering The United States Chief Executive has become the number one priority of the President. This change has created a more powerful Presidency and it’s relationship with the other branches of government and the public.

As the amount of exposure a President recieves has increased, so has his power. With much media attention being given to the White House, the President’s ability to effect and shape policy has risen dramatically. It has become much easier for modern Presidents, who operate with the ability to be seen and heard by a majority of society at any time, to effect public opinion. This opportunity has given the President a distint advantage over his critics and opposition (Congressional Quarterly,33).

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was one of the first Presidents to effectively master the use of the media. With his distinct voice and captivating anecdotes, Roosevelt used radio identify with the people and push his agenda (Walsh, 19). With such media campaigns as his Fireside Chats, Roosevelt was able to gain the support needed to guide the nation through a world war and an economic depression.

As the public grew increasingly interested in the President, it became clear that the press needed the White House just as much as the White House needed them. With Presidential coverage becoming such a central part of news broadcasts, the media felt the pressure to give more and more attention to the President.

This increased interaction between the President and the media snowballed as technological advances were made. As the media evolved, changes in media audience and style changed as well. In 1952 one-third of the United States Population read the newspapers. This form of media focused on tranmiting information rather than entertainment (Hess, 2). At the same time radio offered a more entertaining way offered a means of obtaining this information in a more entertaining manner. The ability radio gave to portray audio gave Presidents the opportunity to become more familiar to the public and thus effect public opinion.

The invention of television had a drastic effect on the Presidential media. Not only did a politician’s voice characteristics now matter, so did their visual appearance. This was increasingly evident in the Presidential debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. The younger more attractive Kennedy may have sealed his victory with his better visual showing over the aging stern looking Nixon.

By the mid-1960’s 90 percent of American homes had television (Hess, 2). Television was playing an important role in expanding the power of the Presidency. With television’s ability to capture the sounds and images of the single member executive, the President was gaining and exposure and public opinion advantage over the 535 member legislature (Liebovich,29). Soundbites were also becoming popular and adding to the advantage of the executive(Budiansky,1). With such charismatic leaders as Kennedy commanding media attention, it was hard for the plural member Congress to compete with the President.

Another aspect of television that drastically changed the relationship between the media and the President was cable television. By 1988 over half of the nations homes had cable television (Congressional Quarterly,44). With the expansion of cable television came more political based programing. With channels devoted exclusively to news and politics, the President gained even more media exposure. While helping increase governmental accountability, cable television was increasing the ability of the President to reach the American public and portray the image of the single executive.

Although Congress has countered with constant coverage of the House and Senate through C-SPAN and C-SPAN 2, the President still receives a majority of the media attention (Congressional Quarterly,44). This exposure has a two-fold effect of increasing Presidential power and raising the amount of accountablity a leader has to the public.

A final technologicaladvance is beginning to make even more changes to the way the media covers the President. By making news virtually instantaneous, the internet is further increasing the visibility and accountability of the chief executive (Noak, 1). Although the effect of the internet on Presidential relations with the media has not been determined, it could be assumed that it will have a similar effect as the technological changes of the past.

As media tools have evolved, so has the nature of Presidential press relations. Franklin Delano Roosevelt set the precedent of media relations in the modern era. With his charismatic mannerism and informal oval office press conferences, Roosevelt was able to make allies in the press corps and thus effect the portrayal of himself as well as his policies. Dwight Eisenhower was the first President to hold a televised press conference. This type of effort to effect public opinion coupled with the popularity of the formal World War II general, brought Eisenhower considerable success as a President. The first live television press conference was held by John F. Kennedy whose youthful appearance and whit enabled him to use the media as succesfully as any other President(Congressional Quarterly 51). The only other modern President who derived as much power as Kennedy from his relationship with the press was Reagan. By placing a tremendous amount of attention toward press and public relations, Reagan was able to gain an unprescedented amount of support for his administration and agenda.

Although modern Presidents such as Kennedy and Reagan used the media to their advantage, the press can either be a President’s allie or adversary. Although a President can use the media to publicize their agendas and gain public support, the media can also create problems by revealing negative aspects of a Presidential administration. With such a tremendous increase in media attention given to the President, the effects of press relations has become to high for Presidents to ignore. This is evident in recent Presidents placing such a high priority on public relations. The type of effect that the media has on a Presidency is effected by the ideology of the person in office and the ability of him to sustain a possitive relationship with the press. Although it is not possible to label the media as adversarial or an allie, it is clear that they can either be helpful or detremental to a chief executive.

Whether the media has helped or hurt chief executives, it is clear that it has had a major effect on the office of the President. With so much attention being given to the President by the media, the American public has been brought closer to their leaders. By being informed of a President’s every actions, citizens are able to hold their leaders to a higher level of accountability. On the other hand, Presidents have experienced an increase in power over public opinion with the modern media. By having so much access to the public, the chief executive is often able to effect the opinions of many Americans on certain policy matters.

It is impossible to overlook the fact that the changes in media have heightened a Presidents ability to manipulate and persuade. However with the current trend in investigative reporting, the increased media coverage of the President has also raised the level of accountability we have over our leaders.

With the evolution of the media increasing the power of the President, many have begun to wonder about a shift in the balance of powers. With the President gaining a public relations advantage it is inevitable to have a slight change in the distribution of power. With the executive branch being made up of essentially only one person it has become much easier for the President to sway public opinion than the multitude of voices being heard out of Congress. Because of this the President is able to take credit for accomplishments that many times he had little to do with. By being covered by the media so much, the President also assumes the role of the single leader of the United States, in the eyes of the public. Although the changes in the relationships between the President and the media have had a minute effect on the balance of power, it is not something that should be seen as dangerous. This change should merely be viewed as a natural fluctuation in power distribution that happens over time.