Woodrow Wilson, the Great War, and the Fourth Estate

James D. Startt previously explored Woodrow Wilson’s relationship with the press during his rise to political prominence. Now, Startt returns to continue the story, picking up with the outbreak of World War I in 1914 and tracing history through the Senate’s ultimate rejection in 1920 of the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations. Woodrow Wilson, the Great War, and the Fourth Estate delves deeply into the president’s evolving relations with the press and its influence on and importance to the events of the time. Startt navigates the complicated relationship that existed between one of the country’s most controversial leaders and its increasingly ruthless corps of journalists. The portrait of Wilson that emerges here is one of complexity—a skilled politician whose private nature and notorious grit often tarnished his rapport with the press, and an influential leader whose passionate vision just as often inspired journalists to his cause.

"Definitive is a word historians usually avoid, but it characterizes this book better than any other. Its research, interpretation, and writing are impeccable, and anyone interested in its several subjects, as well as the evolving nature of presidents' relations with the press, should read it forthwith." --The Journal of American History--The Journal of American History

James D. Startt, senior research professor at Valparaiso University, is the author, coauthor, or coeditor of numerous books, most recently Woodrow Wilson and the Press: Prelude to the Presidency.