Clash

“From Adams to Trump, from Lincoln to Obama, American presidents have had a symbiotic and adversarial relationship with the press. Jon Marshall’s carefully researched book takes us inside the hard-nosed reporting, the confrontations, calculations, and prevarications, to paint a picture of the often troubled connection between two of the most powerful forces in our country, our commander in chief and the sprawling news media, in moments of high tension. The result is a clearer understanding of this high-stakes, complex relationship that has consequences for every American.”—Judy Woodruff, anchor and managing editor of PBS NewsHour

“Jon Marshall offers a compelling tutorial on the often tortured relationship between American presidents and the reporters who cover them. Clash is a must-read for anybody interested in the vital role of a free press in a democratic society.”—Jonathan Karl, chief Washington correspondent of ABC News and former president of the White House Correspondents’ Association

“Donald Trump didn’t start this war. In Clash Jon Marshall skillfully traces a fraught relationship from the republic’s earliest days. But his sobering message in this deeply reported book is that the financial strain and fragmentation of the news media and Trump’s willingness to embrace and repeat lies have presented an unprecedented challenge to journalists and democracy.”—Susan Page, Washington Bureau chief of USA Today and author of Madam Speaker: Nancy Pelosi and the Lessons of Power

“Jon Marshall has produced a timely, well-researched exploration of how presidents from John Adams to Donald Trump have tried to suppress press scrutiny of their conduct in the White House. This is good reading for voters in assessing President Biden’s relationship with the news media and the American public.”—Leonard Downie Jr., former executive editor of the Washington Post and author of All About the Story: News, Power, Politics, and the Washington Post

“With Clash Jon Marshall continues to establish himself as a leading scholar of the nexus of journalism and presidential history. His focus illuminates the perennial awkward dance involving presidents and reporters each trying to lead as the other manages the changing tempo of technology, politics, personal idiosyncrasies, and American mores. Marshall is emerging as a stalwart defender of the First Amendment and engaging storyteller of the clashes between the press and the presidency.”—Tom Mascaro, author of Into the Fray: How NBC’s Washington Documentary Unit Reinvented the News