On January 20, 1961, John F.
Kennedy, at the age of forty-three, took his oath of office and launched his activist administration. As the youngest
elected president, he used his youth and exuberance to put forth the spirited ideas of the "New
Frontier". The President also used his style and charisma to present the picturesque view of the White
House as King Arthur's Camelot. The idealistic scenes of the Kennedy years were due, for
the most part, to a issue based print media and the rise of the television viewing audience.
Because of the print media's focus on factual content, JFK evaded possible questions of marital indiscretions
that would have bogged down a current presidential administration. Also, the
Kennedy media advisers and the attractive First Family manipulated or, at times, totally leapfrogged the press
through carefully orchestrated television appearances. Kennedy did have the ability to speak
with great comprehension on complicated issues, but his effectiveness came from his media image.
This image enabled him to inspire a country to reach for the moon and a mobilize a generation
into public service.
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Kennedy v. Nixon 1960 |
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