Home
My resume
My references
My background
Contact me
|
|
|
|
White House witness
Martha Joynt Kumar interprets the White House press
Page 1 | 2 | 3
AN 'INVALUABLE' RESOURCE'
That might have as much to do with Kumar herself as the class. Members of the White House press corps describe her as "invaluable," "priceless" and "beloved." She is a walking library of knowledge, all of it centering on West Wing communications, and as such she is a highly valued resource to White House reporters.
"Dr. Kumar is literally the world's leading expert on White House press relations," said Bob Deans, who has covered the president for Cox News Service for the past six years. "Journalists are constantly asking for her interpretations of how the press office works. She can talk with authority of the evolution of press relations. She understands how the president's relationship with the press — and therefore the public — has evolved over time. She keeps very detailed records on the number of press conferences the president holds — solo press conferences, joint press conferences, pool events."
And beyond those numbers, she offers a perspective that an educated public would be wise to study.
"It's useful for the public to see how different White Houses handle their press strategies," said Scott Lindlaw, a 13-year Associated Press veteran who has covered George W. Bush's administration since his inauguration. "It's important for people to know when they've been spun, when the president is giving answers and non-answers. It's not only the substance of the message but how the message is delivered. And nobody has a better understanding of that than Martha."
A RELATIONSHIP BASED ON NEED
Indeed. Kumar has personally studied the relationship between the press corps and the presidency as far back as the Nixon administration, and her extensive research dates back decades before that. She has co-written one book on the subject and is working on a second, and her articles about presidential communications have appeared in such publications as Presidential Studies Quarterly, Guide to the Presidency and the Harvard International Journal of Press / Politics.
All of that research has led her to a basic conclusion: The press and the president need each other.
"The press needs the president because he is so central to the public's concept of what's happening in Washington," Kumar said. "And the president needs the press to effectively govern. It's basically a cooperative relationship. I don't think of them as adversaries. I think of them as partners in a relationship."
That relationship has changed little over the years. What has changed, said Kumar, are the rules that govern the relationship. Thomas and Lewine told Kumar's students that when they wanted John F. Kennedy's response to a question, they simply tracked down the president and asked him. That's a luxury today's reporters don't have.
"Instead, you get these 'interchanges' in which pools of reporters meet briefly with the president," Kumar said. "Contacts (with the president) today are more formal than they used to be."
They are also becoming less public in nature. By mid-February 2004, for instance, President Bush had held 11 solo press conferences. By comparison, at the same point in their presidencies, Dwight D. Eisenhower had held 78, Lyndon Johnson 79, Richard Nixon 23, Jimmy Carter 53, Ronald Reagan 21, George H.W. Bush 72 and Bill Clinton 40.
There are other ways to get the word out, though — especially in an age that's increasingly driven by cable television and Internet news outlets. Reporters get information from the president in a variety of ways — quick questions yelled as the president arrives at or leaves the White House, impromptu statements during a photo opportunity, brief Q-and-A sessions during more formal events. Kumar tracks all of these as well, making note of the smallest of details along the way — where reporters are seated when they are called upon, for instance. Over time, her observations reveal trends that can be used to compare the communication strategies of presidential administrations.
Her research is used in other ways as well. Kumar served a four-year stint as director of the White House Transition Project, which compiled interviews from previous administrations into information that an incoming president and his team can use to ensure a smooth transition. Harvard University also uses the information in a course it offers on the presidency.
"I love having the flexibility to do a lot of different things," she said. "I'm doing work that's really interesting, and I'm dealing with people that I enjoy and respect."
NEXT PAGE: Recipe for success
1 | 2 | 3
|
|
