Media Relations and the Modern First Lady

Lisa M. Burns is professor of media studies at Quinnipiac University.

Introduction: Why Do First Lady Media Relations Matter?
Lisa M. Burns
Chapter 1: History of First Lady Media Relations from Martha Washington to Mamie Eisenhower
Maurine H. Beasley
Chapter 2: Jacqueline Kennedy and the Challenge of Establishing Modern First Lady Media Relations
Elizabeth J. Natalle
Chapter 3: Lady Bird Johnson and the Press: “She Understood the Language of the Trade”
Nancy Keegan Smith and Diana Bartelli Carlin
Chapter 4: Strength of a Tender Heart: Pat Nixon’s Media Relations
Linda B. Hobgood
Chapter 5: “For all the questions you didn’t ask—I’m grateful”: The Media Relations of Betty Ford
Myra G. Gutin
Chapter 6: Rosalynn Carter, Mary Finch Hoyt, and the Media: The Rise of the Steel Magnolia
Pamela G. Bourland-Davis, Jenni M. Simon, and Abby M. Brooks
Chapter 7: The Boss’s Wife: Exploring Nancy Reagan’s Complicated Role as Homemaker, Protector, and Advocate
Joshua M. Bentley and Russell Mack
Chapter 8: First Lady Barbara Bush and Press Secretary Anna Perez: Lessons from an Effective Media Relations Partnership
Molly Wertheimer
Chapter 9: Soldiering On: Lisa Caputo, Marsha Berry, and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton’s Media Relations
Anne F. Mattina
Chapter 10: Speaking From the “Velvet Pulpit”: The Media Relations of Laura Bush
Erika Cornelius Smith
Chapter 11: Michelle Obama and the Effective Use of Strategic Communication: The Art of Mastering Messaging across Multiple Media Platforms
Shaniece B. Bickham
Chapter 12: Melania Trump’s Bullied Pulpit: Media Relations for an Embattled First Lady
Tammy R. Vigil
Conclusion: The Dynamic Nature of First Lady Media Relations
Alison Novak