Press Gallery: Congress And The Washington Correspondents

by Donald A. Ritchie

Donald Ritchie examines the lives of early, self-styled congressional journalists such as Horace Greeley, Emily Briggs, Benjamin Perley Poore, Jane Grey Swisshelm, Horace White, James G. Blaine, and others who were positioned in the hub of government when the Civil War, the purchase of Alaska, the Crédit Mobilier scandal, and the Johnson impeachment hearings were making front-page news. Rich in anecdote, this lively book illuminates an important era of journalism and American history. The nascent issues of censorship, right to privacy, and conflict of interest that it describes are still very much with us.

Genres: History, Politics

Paperback

First published April 1, 1991

Reviews

[Jean · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved this behind-the-scenes look at the Congressional press corps from the beginning of the Republic and the many stories the author unearthed from obscure archives about these men and women who helped shape public opinion and even the careers of the politicians they reported on.