Clinton Press Secretary Joe Lockheart . paradigm Credit : JOYCE NALTCHAYAN / AFP / Getty Images
When a new chairperson takes position , the White House press corps gets a new facial expression behind the briefing podium . The White House mechanical press secretary is the Florida key to controlling the stream of data between the presidential organisation and journalist — putting together imperativeness outlet , bear briefing for the jam corps , and facilitating accession to top officials in the administration . But the approximation of an official White House pressure writing table is more late than you might cerebrate .
Back in the 19th 100 , the pressing did n’t even have a unconstipated presence at the White House — partly because the president justwasn’t as powerfulas Congress , so journalists did n’t see a pauperization . William W. Price , a reporter for theWashington Evening Star , was perhaps thefirst White House beat newsman , post himself outside the White House to question citizenry on their way out of the construction originate in 1895 , and inspiring other reporters to follow suit of clothes . In 1896 , some newspaper newspaperwoman decided totake over a tableoutside the president ’s secretary ’s office ( the nineteenth one C equivalent of the chief of staff ) . They never really left , but it would be ten before the press flummox a dedicated presidential liaison .
During Theodore Roosevelt ’s presidentship , one of his aides , George Cortelyou — the president ’s " secret stenographer"—began issuing presidential press releases and pass around copies of the president ’s speeches for the first time . Roosevelt finally gave the press dedicated distance in the White House , meeting with newsman regularly .
TO QUOTE A PRESIDENT
Nowadays , we may find out the president ’s words ( and tweets ) verbatim all the time , but the populace did n’t always have access to presidential sound bites . Before Hoover , newsman were n’t even allowed to cite their interviews with the President of the United States directly in the press . ( When Woodrow Wilson became the first Chief Executive tohold a stately printing press conferencein 1913 , the whole matter was off the record — no quotes allowed . )
But although Hoover would change this policy and call a more open relationship with the medium , his standing with the press fell apace over his full term . Despite his promise to do motion from journalist , for instance , he required reporter tosubmit all questionsbeforehand to Akerson , who met with the pressing doubly a sidereal day . He would only answer the questions he like , and sometimes , he would n’t respond any at all . In fact , the press was n’t truly loose to quote the prexy until Eisenhower ’s governing , two decade later .
A MODERNIZING PRESS
When Franklin Delano Roosevelt take part after Hoover in 1933 , the insistency secretary ’s job had change drastically . Stephen T. Early was the first insistence secretaire to plow with a media landscape painting that was n’t just newspaper but include radio receiver and newsreel , too .
early on , a respected reporter who had break the news of President Warren G. Harding ’s 1923 death while at the Associated Press , had a fundamental character in FDR ’s media strategy . At his urging , the Chief Executive held twice - weekly press conferences for the first time . Early also help Roosevelt create his famousfireside schmooze — comfort , colloquial radio broadcasts that seem throughout the 1930s and early 1940s . Early leave his situation before long before the president ’s demise , hark back to the White House for a abbreviated two week later to work out with Truman after the sudden death of press secretary Charles Ross [ PDF ] .
fresh press secretaries have had to cope with new challenges of the line of work each yr . Mike McCurry ( one of Bill Clinton ’s press secretary ) , for instance , was the first to televise press briefings in their totality . First , he allow for a few minutes of the briefing to be filmed , lento allowing the tv camera to shoot more and more . He come to regret this when TV stations began transmit his briefings live during the Monica Lewinsky dirt , latercalling it"the slow thing I ever did . "
And the position of press secretarial assistant is ( lento ) evolving , too . The station has historically been fill by men , and there have only been two fair sex in history to take on the use . Dee Dee Meyers , Bill Clinton ’s first press secretary , was the first , accept the podium in 1993 . Meyers afterward became a consultant forThe West Wing , and the character of the press secretary in the show , C.J. Cregg , was revolutionise by her . ( Played by Allison Janney , Cregg is also the only fictitious fiber to ever conduct areal White House press briefing . ) George W. Bush hired Dana Perino in 2007 , gain her the second woman press escritoire in account .
INSIDE THE PRESSURE-COOKER
Of naturally , the pressures of the business differ establish on the family relationship the insistence secretary has with the President of the United States . Dwight Eisenhower ’s pressure secretary James Hagerty , for example , was one of Ike ’s most trust advisors , travel to be by his sidewhen the president was recovering from a heart attack and when he had surgery . Sometimes , in the middle of a public press conference , Eisenhower would halt to consult with Hagerty . And Hagerty was the first one to allow journalists to quote the United States President ’s word at press group discussion in full , verbatim — giving him another boost in the eyes of the newsman he worked with .
Presidential presidential term are n’t always so trusting . Scott McClellan , mechanical press secretary for George W. Bush , had difficulty squeezing accurate information out of elderly White House officials , and as a upshot , his credibility with the press tanked . " He got pound off day after twenty-four hours because the President of the United States did n’t allow him to do much more than repeat the talking points , " Slate political columnist and CBS journalist John Dickersonwrotein 2006 . Dickerson describe the resignation of " dutiful , gracious , and somewhat piñatalike McClellan " as " one last symbolic mission " of self - sacrifice . Like Hoover ’s press escritoire George Akerson , McClellan was caught between reporters demanding more — and more accurate — entropy and White House bosses who did n’t want to reveal anything .
SERVING AS A GO-BETWEEN
But according to Ron Nessen , military press writing table under Gerald Ford , the canonic requirements of the job are the same regardless of the President of the United States . " I remember most press writing table , no matter what their background is , come to understand that the same set of rules apply year after year , governing after governing body : severalise the truth , do n’t lie , do n’t cover up , put out the speculative word yourself , put it out as before long as possible , put your own explanation on it , all those things , " he explained in an article foreJournal USA .
And while each chair has a unique — occasionally contentious — kinship with the press , McCurry says that the press secretary should n’t be the enemy of fellow member of the media . " The imperativeness office has to be an advocate for the press and the public ’s right to bed inside the White House , " he told the White House Historical Association . " Sometimes you will lose out to other priorities , but at least the jam will sense that someone is looking out for its interests . That is the way to best service the president . The modern presidency can not work efficaciously if it is constantly at warfare with the medium . "
