The Unilateral Presidency and the News Media : The Politics of Framing Executive Power

Media coverage of presidential actions can not only serve journalistic purposes, but can also act as a check against unilateral decision making. The book seeks to uncover how the news media has worked to curtail overreaching power within the executive branch, demonstrating how the fourth estate keeps presidential overreach at bay. Front Matter....Pages i-xvi Introduction: The Unitary Executive and the News Media....Pages 1-17 Headlining Presidential Power: New York Times Front-Page Coverage of Executive Orders from Truman through Clinton....Pages 19-38 Torturing Unilateralism: The Case of Abu Ghraib, the News Media, and a Broken Political System....Pages 39-69 Unilateralism Tortured: Critical Press Coverage of the McCain Amendment and Signing Statements....Pages 71-91 Predator in Chief: Framing Obama’s Drone Warfare....Pages 93-111 Going It E-Lone in the 2012 Election: Covering Obama’s We Can’t Wait in the Traditional and Online Public Spheres....Pages 113-136 Conclusion: The Unilateral Presidency, the News Media, and the Politics of Hiding in Plain Sight....Pages 137-146 Back Matter....Pages 147-191 "Since George Washington's Proclamation of Neutrality in 1793, there has been an ongoing debate concerning the proper scope and exercise of presidential unilateral powers. With a mere 'stroke of the pen, ' presidents can change the political status quo. The Constitution is silent about these powers, Congress seldom acts to limit them, and the public is usually unaware of this aspect of executive authority. The Unilateral Presidency and the News Media investigates the role media play in bringing attention to unwritten presidential powers; examining the amount of coverage, type of frames used, influencers of frames, and where these frames place the unilateral powers of the American presidency in a constitutional context"-- Provided by publisher Machine generated contents note: -- 1. Introduction: The Unitary Executive and the News Media 2. Headlining Presidential Power: New York Times Front-Page Coverage of Executive Orders from Truman through Clinton 3. Torturing Unilateralism: The Case of Abu Ghraib, the News Media, and a Broken Political System 4. Unilateralism Tortured: Critical Press Coverage of the McCain Amendment and Signing Statements 5. Predator in Chief: Framing Obama's Drone Warfare 6. Going It E-Lone in the 2012 Election: Covering Obama's We Can't Wait in the Traditional and Online Public Spheres 7. Conclusion: The Unilateral Presidency, the News Media, and the Politics of Hiding in Plain Sight