Presidents, Coverage of

Presidential news coverage refers to a specific type of political journalism that includes coverage of all aspects of the United States presidency, as well as the communications and actions of the President's cabinet and White House staff. The press coverage afforded U.S. Presidents is often seen as quite subjective, as the President's policy decisions and stated agendas are interpreted, analyzed, and critiqued by pundits. This coverage, like other forms of political journalism, is frequently informed by what is called opinion journalism, which has grown in popularity in recent years. Presidents receive more coverage than either the legislative or judicial branches of the federal government as they provide more news media access to their activities. This has become increasingly so in the early twenty-first century as the Bush and then Obama administrations sought broad public support for their initiatives.

As the relationship between press and President has evolved and the demands on the President's time have increased, the need to effectively manage the press's access to the President has increased as well. The role of the White House press secretary is to act as an intermediary between the [Page 1111]President and the press. He or she is a senior member of the President's staff who serves as the primary spokesperson for the administration and serves at the pleasure of the President.

Responsibilities of the press secretary include gathering and disseminating information regarding the President's daily schedule, any meetings or communications the President has engaged, and the administration's position on any current newsworthy issues. The press secretary also holds press briefings and conferences with the White House press corps, including a daily public news briefing. White House press secretaries have come from a variety of backgrounds, but many have been journalists. George Akerson, a former journalist for the Minneapolis Tribune, was the first official White House press secretary, serving under Herbert Hoover from 1929 to 1931. The last press secretary (2007–09) for George W. Bush was Dana Perino, only the second woman after Dee Dee Meyers (1993–94) to serve in the position.