The Changing Presidential Media Environment

This article examines the declining audience for presidential speeches and for political news in general. Because of these changes, presidents now face a significantly more difficult task in getting messages through to the entire public than at any time since the birth of the mass media. But perhaps even more important is that the nature of the audience no longer befits the ideal notion of a nationally elected officer who is president of all the people. The presidential audience is now highly skewed in terms of age, with young adults being less and less likely to follow presidential actions.