Woodrow Wilson, the Great War, and the Fourth Estate / James D. Startt.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Startt, James D., 1932- author.

Series:

Joseph V. Hughes, Jr. and Holly O. Hughes series on the presidency and leadership

Joseph V. Hughes Jr. and Holly O. Hughes Series on the Presidency and Leadership

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Wilson, Woodrow, 1856-1924.

Wilson, Woodrow.

Wilson, Woodrow, 1856-1924--Relations with journalists.

Peace.

Presidents--United States--Biography.

Presidents.

Press.

Relations with journalists.

United States.

United States--Politics and government--1913-1921.

Politics and government.

United States--Foreign relations--1913-1921.

International relations.

World War, 1914-1918--Peace.

World War, 1914-1918.

Press and politics--United States--History--20th century.

Press and politics.

History.

Press--United States--Influence.

Diplomatic relations.

Press--Influence.

Genre:

Biographies.

History.

Physical Description:

xiv, 420 pages ; 25 cm.

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

College Station : Texas A & M University Press, [2017]

Summary:

James D. Startt previously explored Woodrow Wilson's relationship with the press during his rise to political prominence, his governorship of New Jersey, and his first presidential campaign. Now, Startt returns to continue the story, picking up with the outbreak of World War I in 1914 and tracing history through the Senate's ultimate rejection in 1920 of the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations. Focusing on the most contentious national and international issues of Wilson's time, Startt navigates the complicated relationship that existed between one of the country's most controversial leaders and its increasingly contentious corps of journalists. Although there were some bright spots in Wilson's press relations during his years in the White House, countless problems persisted, often of his own making. The camaraderie with the press that had characterized Wilson's governorship was no more, as the newly elected president quickly displayed a reluctance to share information with reporters, earning himself a negative reputation among press personnel-who, as Wilson knew, could easily sway public opinion against him and his policies. Wilson himself read few newspapers-at times none-so how, then, did he keep up with the critically important opinion of the press, and what did he do to educate and lead that opinion? Woodrow Wilson, the Great War, and the Fourth Estate unique insight into these questions and others by taking a nuanced view, delving deeply into the president's evolving relations with the press and its influence on and importance to the events of the time. From struggles over wartime censorship to the failure to mobilize public support for the League of Nations, the portrait of Wilson that emerges here is one of complexity-a skilled politician whose private nature and notorious grit often tarnished his support with the press, but whose passionate vision just as often inspired journalists to his cause. Book jacket.

Contents:

The president and the press

The war, the press, and propaganda

Neutrality tested: 1915

National anxieties: 1915

Politics under the shadow of war, 1916

Peace and war in the balance: 1916-17

Managing the media in wartime

Criticism on the home front

Diplomatic realities: 1917

Wilson's peace initiative: 1918

The end of the war

Interlude between war and peace

At the summit

Return to the summit

Statesmanship in abeyance

The end of the league debate.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Startt, James D., 1932- Woodrow Wilson, the Great War, and the Fourth Estate.

ISBN:

9781623495312

1623495318

OCLC:

960940550