How has the media influenced the Presidency?Currently, the office of the United States Presidency is one of the most powerful positions in the world. The President has the power to influence Congress, the nation, and the free world. However, the US media, which is also the freest and most powerful press, had control over the presidency. The advent of CNN, ABC, NBC and others has had the effect of influencing the population of the United States, either gaining support for a president or destroying his credibility. The media have enabled the spread of information, allowing people to take a more active role in politics, making the general will better known, but they have also made politicians and the public hostage to the ideas and opinions of journalists, who are often only after a compelling story and a big profit. The media has the power to influence the American public by reporting favorable or unfavorable news about a candidate, thus making a presidential candidate a prisoner of entertainment companies. One could therefore say that the American people lose the ability to truly know a candidate because of the media. Instead they vote based on what they are told by major publications rather than what they believe. In this article I will explore whether the media is a valuable resource or has undue influence on the president and the American public? The media is a powerful resource for the Presidency and the people of the United States. Justice Frankfurter of the Supreme Court stated that “a free press is indispensable to the functioning of our democratic society.” He says the American people need the media to be informed about the workings of government, foreign affairs and important events. Without this... half a document... written by the press. When this becomes extreme and debates are written about and repeated, ideas, free thought and expression are once again stifled. Therefore, the press has great power, but also the responsibility to use it correctly to inform the public without thinking of bias, prejudice or with the idea of ​​influencing the general will. Works Cited - 2004 Contract Debates. Fox News Network. October 1, 2004 http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,133975,00.html- News Hour with Jim Lehrer. Public broadcasting station. September 19, 2004 http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/white_house/july-dec98/presidency_8-13.html- The Media and Politics. Beyond books. September 19, 2004 http://www.beyondbooks.com/gop00/4.asp- “United States Presidency and Television.” Museum archives online 2004.http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/U/htmlU/uspresiden/uspresiden.htm