ABSTRACT
John F. Kennedy's memory has grown from the rich iconography of his life, so it is fitting to begin with his public image. In terms of media management, John F. Kennedy had a major impact on the presidency. He was, of course, not the first president to cultivate an image. Franklin Roosevelt had understood its power: projecting his jaunty, self-confident persona through controlled photo opportunities (deliberately avoiding the reality of his paralysis due to polio) and personal appeals via radio broadcasts (“fireside chats”). Hiding his actually tight and astute oversight of policy, Eisenhower attracted broad support through a radiant smile and genial manner that reassured Americans they were in safe hands. However, by 1961, television had become a much more dominant medium than it had been when Eisenhower took office in 1953, and the Kennedy White House deliberately played to it. As a result, the norms and motifs of the televised presidency were largely established by the Kennedys, not just Jack but in almost equal measure his wife Jackie and their two young children, as well as his brother Bobby and similarly youthful Cabinet members (the so-called “best and brightest”). JFK would establish the live press conference and the special TV broadcast to the nation as features of American life, and his wife would demonstrate how the first lady could be a cultural trendsetter and arbiter of taste. In myriad ways, JFK has served as the challenging template for his successors, and few have matched him.
