BLAMING THE MESSENGER
The relationship between the executive branch and the press is at risk of total implosion.
But this begs the question...
How did we get here?
The Daily Free Press' Blaming the Messenger
President Donald Trump's near-daily attacks against the news media have become a staple of presidential politics. But how on earth did we get to this point? Hosted by Jackson Machesky with support from The Daily Free Press, "Blaming the Messenger" endeavors to answer that question, examining the extent to which the relationship between the presidency and the press has changed from President Nixon to present day over six episodes in the weeks leading up to Election Day.
Episode 1:
The Media Presidency and Nixon's "The Press is the Enemy"
President Donald Trump's near-daily attacks against the news media have become a staple of presidential politics. But how on earth did we get to this point? Join The Daily Free Press as we analyze the historical precedents that led to Trump’s attitude toward the press today, beginning with the president who started it all: Richard Nixon.
Hosted and written by Jackson Machesky. Voice work provided by Abbey McCracken and Daniel Multz. Fact-checking and script editing by Angela Yang, Sarah Readdean, Justin Tang, and Jackson Machesky. Editing by Justin Tang. Original music by Jackson Machesky.
Hosted and written by Jackson Machesky. Voice work provided by Abbey McCracken and Daniel Multz. Fact-checking and script editing by Angela Yang, Sarah Readdean, Justin Tang, and Jackson Machesky. Editing by Justin Tang. Original music by Jackson Machesky.
Episode 2:
Ford's Cordiality and Carter's Ambivalence
In this week’s episode of ‘Blaming the Messenger,” The Daily Free Press discusses the failure of the Ford and Carter administrations to adequately respond to negative media coverage, which ultimately doomed their administrations.
Hosted and written by Jackson Machesky. Voice work provided by Daniel Multz, Will Aracri, Abbey McCracken, and Trevor Tamura. Fact-checking and script editing by Angela Yang, Sarah Readdean, Justin Tang, and Jackson Machesky. Editing by Justin Tang. Original music by Jackson Machesky.
Hosted and written by Jackson Machesky. Voice work provided by Daniel Multz, Will Aracri, Abbey McCracken, and Trevor Tamura. Fact-checking and script editing by Angela Yang, Sarah Readdean, Justin Tang, and Jackson Machesky. Editing by Justin Tang. Original music by Jackson Machesky.
Episode 3:
Reagan and Carter - The Celebrity Presidencies (Oh, and Bush Sr. Too!)
On this episode of Blaming the Messenger, the Daily Free Press discusses President Ronald Reagan and his “controlled access” policy with the media, as well as President Bill Clinton and the impeachment saga. Oh, and we’ll also talk about President George H. W. Bush., a media traditionalist sandwiched between two presidents who dramatically changed the executive branch’s interactions with the media.
Hosted and written by Jackson Machesky. Voice work provided by Daniel Multz, Doug Benishek, Will Aracri, Abbey McCracken, Hayden Wheeler, and Trevor Tamura. Fact-checking and script editing by Angela Yang, Sarah Readdean, Justin Tang, and Jackson Machesky. Editing by Justin Tang. Original music by Jackson Machesky.
Hosted and written by Jackson Machesky. Voice work provided by Daniel Multz, Doug Benishek, Will Aracri, Abbey McCracken, Hayden Wheeler, and Trevor Tamura. Fact-checking and script editing by Angela Yang, Sarah Readdean, Justin Tang, and Jackson Machesky. Editing by Justin Tang. Original music by Jackson Machesky.
Episode 4:
Bush Jr., Obama, and Keeping Policies a Secret
On this episode of Blaming the Messenger, the Daily Free Press discusses two presidents who, ideologically, could not have been more different: George W. Bush and Barack Obama. However, both presidents criticized media conduct during their administrations, lied to the press during pivotal points in their presidencies, and withheld information from the press when politically motivated to do so.
Hosted and written by Jackson Machesky. Voice work provided by Trevor Tamura, Abbey McCracken, Daniel Multz, David Simon, Hayden Wheeler, Will Aracri, Samantha Rossi, and Cameron Irving. Fact-checking and script editing by Jackson Machesky, Angela Yang, Sarah Readdean, and Justin Tang. Editing by Justin Tang. Original music by Jackson Machesky.
Hosted and written by Jackson Machesky. Voice work provided by Trevor Tamura, Abbey McCracken, Daniel Multz, David Simon, Hayden Wheeler, Will Aracri, Samantha Rossi, and Cameron Irving. Fact-checking and script editing by Jackson Machesky, Angela Yang, Sarah Readdean, and Justin Tang. Editing by Justin Tang. Original music by Jackson Machesky.
Episode 5:
A Trumpian Conclusion
Join The Daily Free Press as we conclude our discussion on the relationship between the media and the executive branch with the president whose crusade to discredit press coverage has become a staple of his presidential administration: Donald Trump.
Hosted and written by Jackson Machesky. Voice work on this episode was provided by Daniel Multz and Abbey McCracken. Fact-checking and script editing by Jackson Machesky, Angela Yang, Sarah Readdean, and Justin Tang. Editing by Justin Tang. Original music by Jackson Machesky.
Hosted and written by Jackson Machesky. Voice work on this episode was provided by Daniel Multz and Abbey McCracken. Fact-checking and script editing by Jackson Machesky, Angela Yang, Sarah Readdean, and Justin Tang. Editing by Justin Tang. Original music by Jackson Machesky.
Episode 6 (Bonus Episode):
An Interview with Host Jackson Machesky
In this special bonus episode of Blaming the Messenger, FreeP Podcast Editor Justin Tang sits down with BTM host Jackson Machesky to talk about the research, writing, and scoring process for this podcast.
Edited by Justin Tang.
Edited by Justin Tang.
Other Related Links
I originally wrote this podcast for JO523 ("Media and Politics in Modern America"), co-taught by Chris Daly and Bruce Schulman, during my sophomore year at Boston University. It was then fact-checked, edited, and re-recorded with help from the Daily Free Press around 10 months later for official release. The link above takes you to the original website and podcast, complete with awful audio quality and copyrighted music, published for that class.