Existing comment:
John F. Kennedy looked good on television. In the first nationally televised U.S. presidential debate in 1960, Kennedy's movie-star looks and easy charm showed that image could be as important as message. Five days after he took office, Kennedy scored another presidential first by holding a live, televised press conference. He was the first president to understand the powerful role that television played in connecting with an audience.
Kennedy and his family captivated the press. Coverage of the dashing president, his fashionable wife and their young children boasted TV ratings as well as newspaper and magazine sales. News media coverage helped shape the story of the Kennedy presidency as a magical moment in American history, but a darker narrative emerged as the convulsions of the Cold War and the civil rights movement shook the country. When Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963, television elevated him to a place of legend. |