Every Member of Congress employs his or her own press secretary, a person dedicated to meticulously crafting and delivering that politician's image. These communication professionals' well-honed and artfully packaged messages affect the public and the media's thinking. They shape the perceptions of national and international political issues. For good or ill, the USA's political ecosystem responds to the behind-the-scenes work done by the press secretaries, and the laws and governance of the United States are built in part on their communications. Based on interviews and qualitative data sets gathered over the course of 25 years - this is the first book to look in detail at the role of congressional press secretaries and how they shape the US political system. The result is a groundbreaking work on a new angle of US political history and a book that should be read by all those working on Capitol Hill and in the political world.

Appeals to a wide range of readers, working in the political sphere

Chapter 1: Who are the Press SecretariesChapter 2: What Do the Press Secretaries Think of their BossesChapter 3: What Do the Press Secretaries DoChapter 4: With Whom (and Where) Do the Press Secretaries WorkChapter 5: What Are the Press Secretaries' Days LikeChapter 6: How Do the Press Secretaries Work with Traditional MediaChapter 7: How Do the Press Secretaries Work with New MediaChapter 8: How Do the Press Secretaries Decide on Which Issues to FocusChapter 9: What Have Others Written About the Press SecretariesChapter 10: What Power Do the Press Secretaries HaveChapter 11: Does the Press Secretaries' Work Enhance DemocracyConclusion Index