Ronald Reagan: 1981-1989


Ronald Reagan was well known during his presidency for his use of the media. He brought to the presidency the charm that people called the “Reagan magic,” and his press conferences helped relay that magnetism to the public. In 1981, the National Commission on Presidential Press Conferences, co-chaired by former Governor of Virginia A. Linwood Holton, Jr. and former Chief White House Correspondent for NBC News Ray Scherer, suggested reforms to the modern presidential press conference.

The National Commission on Presidential Press Conferences (1981)

Read the Commission's Final Report (Adobe Acrobat)

Co-Chairs:

A. Linwood Holton, Jr., Governor of Virginia, 1970-1974

Ray Scherer, Chief White House Correspondent, NBC News

Commissioners:

Douglass Cater, Special Assistant to the President, 1964-1968

Robert Pierpoint, International Correspondent, CBS News; White House Correspondent, CBS News

Julius Duscha, Head of the Washington Journalism Center, 1968-1990, Editorial Writer, Reporter, National correspondent, The Washington Post, 1958-1966

James Rowe

Carroll Kilpatrick, Assistant press secretary at the State Department; White House Correspondent, The Washington Post

Felicia Warburg Rogan

Commission Director:

Kenneth W. Thompson, Director of the Miller Center, 1978-1998

Home | About Us | News Room | Academic Programs | Public Programs | Policy Programs
Scripps Library | Support Us | Directions to the Miller Center | Contact Us