Presidents have a tendency to be idolized for their perceived successes—Ronald Reagan for his role in felling Communism and realization of the GOP economic model—and demonized for their perceived failures—Carter for his handling of the Iranian hostage crisis and skyrocketing inflation rates—or simply forgotten in mediocrity. Before these impressions are etched in stone, their every move is follo

Today, the face of news seems to change more rapidly than headlines floating across a cable news program's ticker. Reporters young and experienced alike face an unstable job market and an uncertain future as the journalism industry struggles to find a viable business model. However, some things still hold true. The presidency remains, as Hugh Sidey said in his 2004 book "

When Hugh Sidey said, "The cauldron of the presidency reveals unknown strengths in a person, just as it exposes hidden weaknesses," he was describing the nature of the President of the United States, an office of which he developed an intimate relationship over nearly half a decade of reporting. Hugh Sidey was a forerunner of modern American journalism who helped

Today information is more accessible to more people than ever before. This increase of information has brought about higher expectations of journalism and new job descriptions for reporters. More is expected of the press. Media consumers want the traditional news stories and analyses, but exponential growth in social media use has contributed to the 24-hour news cycle initially created by

"They are not as tall or articulate as you think they should be. And they're not super people, so that is a bit of a letdown. Then you begin to understand, though, when you write about them as I have, how vital they are to the American system." These words were spoken by esteemed political journalist Hugh Sidey, in a

Every news organization that covers politics in America has something in common: Washington. All eyes are on the East, carefully scrutinizing the U.S. Supreme Court, Congress and, perhaps more than any of the others, the White House. The White House contains the leader of the free world, and therefore, “the most sought-after, analyzed and scrutinized” of all American politicians, as H

We live in a time filled with skepticism and cynicism – about the motives of elected officials, about the integrity of corporate executives, about the behavioral lapses of celebrities. At the same time, there are those who lift our spirits and whose lives serve as a beacon of that which is good and inspiring. Hugh Sidey was such a beacon. As hi

Having a meal with a presidential candidate on the road or taking a swim in an indoor pool with the president is not something even journalists with access to the most powerful office are always able to do. Time magazine correspondent Hugh Sidey was one of the few people to do so with presidents regardless of their political affiliation. Being

JAMES ARCHER ABBOTT is the Executive Director of the Lewes Historical Society in Lewes, Delaware. His publications include JANSEN, JANSEN Furniture, and Baltimore’s Billy Baldwin. He is the co-author of Designing Camelot. (WHH #60) WILLIAM ADAIR is a frame historian, conservator, and gilder in Washington, D.C. (WHH #54) MATTHEW ALGEO is a writer and journalist. He is the author of se

The 2025 National History Day (NHD) theme is Rights and Responsibilities. The White House Historical Association offers a variety of resources to assist students working on NHD projects.

Decatur House 8:00-8:45am Light Breakfast 8:45-9:00am Transition to the Carriage House 9:00-9:15am Welcome Stewart McLaurin, President, The White House Historical AssociationPaul Edmondson, President and CEO, The National Trust for Historic Preservation 9:15-10:30am Preserving Presidential Sites This panel will discuss the many challenges of preserving the residences of American presidents, along with how interpretations of those spaces (

Since late 2016, the White House Historical Association has been working with Amazon Web Services to leverage the newest cloud computing tools available to enhance our outreach efforts and engage audiences not just around the United States but all over the globe. The new WHExperience mobile application uses Amazon Rekognition technology, a leading object-recognition software, to power our Presidential Look-alike feature.