The Press at the White House: 1952-1963

Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Press Secretary James C. Hagerty permitted radio, television and newspaper equipment to record coverage of news conferences on January 19, 1955. The conferences were held about every two weeks and before the film was released to the public, Hagerty edited what were considered the most newsworthy portions. On January 25, 1961, John F. Kennedy, long comfortable with print and electronic media, became the first president to hold a live televised news conference. Briefing books, practice sessions, and increasing amounts of staff time were needed to prepare for conferences that were now major news events as more than half the nation’s households had television sets.