For decades now, Hilary Rodham Clinton has received extensive media attention for a number of different reasons. This media coverage has shifted from what was once rooted in admiration and support to what is now rooted in intimidation and distrust. Aside from the media coverage she attracted after Bill’s impeachment from office, I would argue that Hilary has been largely responsible for putting herself under the looking glass of the media in the political sphere. Hilary has always had her own political agenda that she has stood by and over time it has accumulated more and more attention from the general public. Though she withdrew from the race in 2008, media sources continued to keep an eye on her from a distance. Now, eight years later, coverage of Hilary Clinton is something one cannot avoid when flipping through news stations. With the 2016 Presidential elections creeping near, Hilary’s media image in the eyes of the public is in a very critical and shaky state that requires specialized attention on behalf of Team Hilary.

Media sources tend to hone in on individuals that play an integral part in society. Because Hilary is a well-known politician, she automatically attracts more media attention than other average celebrities or public figures. This includes positive and negative attention. Because of the controversiality of Hilary and her character, I believe that the media feeds the fire a lot of the time. This includes using photographs of Hilary that appear more harsh or stern and taking them out of the context in which they were taken and then placing them in the context that they need to make an argument. This isn’t to say that the media is necessarily being purposefully dishonest with the public but it is definitely misrepresentative of Hilary’s image at times.Without even intentionally meaning to, different media sources impose their own biases onto the issues or people they are covering, resulting in a somewhat skewed take on the actual truth of the matter. Now, one could claim that this is simply unfair. The media is supposed to provide us with a constant, credible source of unbiased information that we can use to create and solidify our opinions on certain things, right? Wrong. The media would cease to be the media without a steady viewer-base and consistent, positive ratings. If these two things fail or lose their strength, the media source will burn out and sink. Because of this, the media tends to perpetually stir the pot. This keeps things interesting and controversial and helps to attract and keep a solid viewer base informed and entertained.

In all, I don’t believe that Hilary has ultimate control over her public image. The media will inevitably warp her demeanor to fit the story that they need it to fit, just as they do with every well-known face in the public sphere. I think that the best way Hilary could go about managing her public image to the best of her ability is by remaining open and honest with the public. She is under great scrutiny now and it will only intensify as the election nears. What the public wants to see is someone they feel as though they can trust and depend on. Lately, Hilary’s public image that is generated by the media has been challenging that. She and her PR team need to make conscious efforts to publicly present her in the best, most genuine way they see fit in order to keep Hilary from destroying Hilary.