Richard Nixon first ran for President in 1960 while he was Vice President during the Eisenhower term.  He lost narrowly to President Kennedy in the closest election ever.  He tried again 1968 and won largely due to the Democrats disarray because of the Vietnam War.
   Early in his political career Nixon was a very conservative member of the House and the Senate.  He was regarded as a strong anti-communist.  His personality and his accusations that most of the media was controlled by communists did not promote favorable coverage.  The media began to ridiculed him and when he loss to Kennedy, it was partially attributed to his poor appearance treatment by the media. 
     When he ran again in 1968, he avoided the media as much as possible and relied upon on controlled  appearances, photo ops, and local interviews.  After he became President, he created the first Communication Office in the White House to coordinate the media relations.  Nixon later converted the White House swimming pool into a media room.
   His obsession with the media was destructive.  He used the IRS, FBI, and the Justice Department to investigate and intimidate reporters from doing negative stories about the Administration.  During his second term, the media took revenge.  He was disgraced by the Watergate scandal.  Nixon became the first President to resign from office.
   Richard Nixon accomplished many things during his tenure, but like his predecessor, Lyndon Johnson,  he would be forever remembered for his failure, rather than his achievement. The Nixon administration was tainted by corrupt and deceit.  This may have been due to the President’s obsession with the media.  His love hate relationship with the reporters caused him to turn his back on the law and order that he championed when running in 1968.
 

Nixon v. Humphrey 1968

Nixon v. McGovern 1972

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