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This book examines the media relations strategies first ladies and their teams have used throughout history to manage press and public interest in their private lives, to promote causes close to their hearts, and to shape their public image. These essays also highlight the important role media relations plays in political communication.
List of contents
Introduction: Why Do First Lady Media Relations Matter?
Lisa M. Burns
Chapter 1: History of First Lady Media Relations from Martha Washington to Mamie Eisenhower
Maurine H. Beasley
Chapter 2: Jacqueline Kennedy and the Challenge of Establishing Modern First Lady Media Relations
Elizabeth J. Natalle
Chapter 3: Lady Bird Johnson and the Press: "She Understood the Language of the Trade"
Nancy Keegan Smith and Diana Bartelli Carlin
Chapter 4: Strength of a Tender Heart: Pat Nixon's Media Relations
Linda B. Hobgood
Chapter 5: "For all the questions you didn't ask-I'm grateful": The Media Relations of Betty Ford
Myra G. Gutin
Chapter 6: Rosalynn Carter, Mary Finch Hoyt, and the Media: The Rise of the Steel Magnolia
Pamela G. Bourland-Davis, Jenni M. Simon, and Abby M. Brooks
Chapter 7: The Boss's Wife: Exploring Nancy Reagan's Complicated Role as Homemaker, Protector, and Advocate
Joshua M. Bentley and Russell Mack
Chapter 8: First Lady Barbara Bush and Press Secretary Anna Perez: Lessons from an Effective Media Relations Partnership
Molly Wertheimer
Chapter 9: Soldiering On: Lisa Caputo, Marsha Berry, and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton's Media Relations
Anne F. Mattina
Chapter 10: Speaking From the "Velvet Pulpit": The Media Relations of Laura Bush
Erika Cornelius Smith
Chapter 11: Michelle Obama and the Effective Use of Strategic Communication: The Art of Mastering Messaging across Multiple Media Platforms
Shaniece B. Bickham
Chapter 12: Melania Trump's Bullied Pulpit: Media Relations for an Embattled First Lady
Tammy R. Vigil
Conclusion: The Dynamic Nature of First Lady Media Relations
Alison Novak
About the author
Edited by Lisa M. Burns - Contributions by Maurine H. Beasley; Joshua M. Bentley; Shaniece B. Bickham; Pamela G. Bourland-Davis; Abby M. Brooks; Lisa M. Burns; Diana Bartelli Carlin; Myra G. Gutin; Linda B. Hobgood; Nancy Kegan Smith; Russell Mack; Anne F
Summary
This book examines the media relations strategies first ladies and their teams have used throughout history to manage press and public interest in their private lives, to promote causes close to their hearts, and to shape their public image. These essays also highlight the important role media relations plays in political communication.
