5 takeaways:

➀ The Obama administration was zealous in blocking press scrutiny – a possible precursor to the Biden administration. Holzer surveyed every president from George Washington to Donald Trump and focused on 19 in his book. He said that President Barack Obama might rank as among the “most aggressive presidents in blocking press scrutiny.” Obama joins John Adams, Abraham Lincoln and Woodrow Wilson, three presidents infamous for jailing journalists and censoring newspapers. “Obama cracked down on scrutiny, in an effort to root out leaks,” Holzer said. Among other things, the administration of Obama and Vice President Joe Biden used the 1917 Espionage Act – originally intended as a tool against spies – to threaten journalists who received leaks.

➁ Presidents, too, catch more flies with honey than vinegar. While every president has ended up disappointed with their coverage – even the sainted Washington “loathed the press” at the end of his tenure – they handled the press differently. Some were antagonistic, even hostile. Some were standoffish. Some tried to sweet talk journalists – and sometimes it even worked. “Both Roosevelts thought they could tame, dominate, restrict, corral and use the press just by dint of their personalities,” Holzer said. “… FDR felt he could charm journalists with access, with dinner invitations – ‘Use my new White House pool, use the tennis courts.’” Journalists, in turn, refrained from reporting – or photographing – Franklin Roosevelt’s disabilities.

➂ “Fake news” might be a new term but similar insults are as old as the nation. “I did find four presidents of the early days – Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt – who used phrases that were close to ‘fake news’ and ‘false news’ long, long before Donald Trump began using it,” Holzer said. Most of those complaints stem from the reality that politicians who have risen to of the pinnacle of success – buoyed by robust egos – don’t like to be dinged by lowly journalists. Said Thomas Jefferson of Federalist editors: “They never utter a truth,” and “Every syllable from me is distorted.”

➃ Presidents use new technologies to evade or manipulate the media. “The most successful communicators … are those who developed alternative means to get their unfiltered stories around the press and to the public,” Holzer said. During Washington’s day, the new technology was the ability to print newspapers twice a week, rather than once. Later, Lincoln used the telegraph in new ways, FDR used the radio to maximum effect, John F. Kennedy mastered television, Obama boosted his message on the White House web site, and Trump was purpose-built for Twitter.

➄ President-elect Joe Biden should stress truthfulness if he wants to win over the media. And so should his press aides. In the past, press secretaries would say “I don’t know” or promise to get back to a reporter. “There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s not a sign of weakness,” Holzer said. “It’s a sign of wanting to tell the truth, and being honest, and I think that’s the most important thing. Let’s go forward with frankness in the new administration. I think it will be good for the press, good for the president, and most important of all, good for the consumers of news.”