Reagan had a worse problem than we do with the press. He also had a smarmy little drunk named Mike Deaver who understood the media and how to counter them. Do you remember ever seeing a bad picture of Reagan? It's not just that he was photogenic but Deaver always put him in backgrounds that benefited him. The little guy was pure genius.
Whoever put together the video linked to in post 12 has the touch. That is powerful.
Different time. Different American mentality. But I agree with your point about that place in history.