War of Words: Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War Press Book

U.S. Presidents have often had complex relationships with the press?and Abraham Lincoln was no exception. Noted historian Harry Maihafer highlights the complex interplay between Lincoln and the media during the Civil War in WAR OF WORDS: Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War Press. Abraham Lincoln was a shrewd politician who recognized the power of the press. While always under fire from some hostile portion of the openly partisan nineteenth-century media, Lincoln did cultivate relationships with numerous prominent newspapermen, and wooed them into aiding his agenda. Whether he was editing his own speech in a newspaper office or inviting reporters to the White House to leak a story, the president skillfully steered the Union through the perils of war by playing his own version of the public relations game?and setting up the foundation for relations between the media and the president for years to come. This account of politics and public relations during America?s national crisis is the first book to examine the relationship between Lincoln and the media, and how each used the other to their own advantage. It is an important book for anyone interested in a new aspect of the civil war, as well as those interested journalism and public relations.Read More