Exploring the White House and the Press

The Centennial Center opened with a splash in October by hosting a public presentation that examined the White House and the Press. Co-sponsored by the White House Historical Association, the event was held at the Woman's National Democratic Club. Martha Joynt Kumar of Towson University organized and moderated the session, which included Dan Bartlett, current White House Communcations Director; Mike McCurry, former Press Secretary to President Clinton; Bill Plante, White House Correspondent, CBS News; and Alexis Simendinger, White House Correspondent, National Journal.

The panel discussed how the relationship between the White House and press corps changed over time as the news cycle changed, the audience fragmented, and the relationship between the media and the executive branch became less cooperative and more adversarial. The session was covered by C-SPAN and received considerable press coverage. A reception and open house at the Centennial Center followed.

The event is the first in a series of programs through which the Centennial Center will bring together the scholarly community, policy makers, media, and the public.