Political Pundits, Conventional Wisdom, and Presidential
Reputation, 1945-1963 An elite cadre of political journalists
shaped presidential reputation in the years between the end of
the Second World War and Kennedy’s assassination. These pundits
influenced politics in a way that is scarcely imaginable today.
Walter Lippmann was easily the most prominent journalist of the
20th century. From the negotiations at Versailles to the Vietnam
War, the most powerful people in the world read his columns and
valued his insight. Arthur Krock and his colleague James Reston
at the New York Times had access to, and the trust of,
presidents and government officials of the highest rank. Drew
Pearson occupied the opposite end of the spectrum of
respectability, but he was perhaps the most popular of all the
political pundits. In addition to his newspaper columns, Pearson
also had a radio show with millions of faithful listeners.
Marquis Childs’ column for the United Features Syndicate ran in
all the largest markets in the Unite