David Greenberg’s biography, Nixon's Shadow: The History of
an Image (Norton 2003), offers this interesting passage on Nixon’s relationship
to the media—and to himself:
“Nixon’s hostility to the media surfaced in ways more
troubling than his reclusiveness. Reporters saw sinister designs in Nixon’s
efforts to monitor what was said about him and a threat to democracy in his use
of power to suppress the news. Collectively, they concluded that these actions
amounted to a war against them.
Nixon devoured the news. Each day, he plowed through his 'News
Summaries.'… Nixon added his own usually intemperate marginalia. Although the
White House said the summaries showed the administration’s efficiency,
reporters wrote about them in a scandalized tone, as proof of Nixon’s image
obsession and his unabating need to keep track of reporters to exact retribution
(p. 153).”
The comparisons seem clear—the implications are
not. Nixon did not survive intense media scrutiny that led to an independent prosecution
of Watergate. It’s too early to draw any conclusion about our president’s fate.Photo Credit: PennLive
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