Publicity politicians explored new media strategies. Rather than through traditional secret methods of managing the press, politicians now personally sought the limelight. A ‘will to publicity’ defined their politics: they published their political communications – seeking political legitimacy by showing the public how they handled political crises – and made political speeches that the press amplified internationally. A fiery speech that animated a local audience, however, risked upsetting a distant audience of newspaper readers the next day. Consequently, political aides intervened in speeches’ publication. Since politicians and the press considered speeches important political acts, they became crucial to exercising power in a mass mediated environment. Mediated speeches enabled politicians to connect with the people directly, bypassing parliament and bureaucracy. Developments in photography and film further enabled politicians to put their person at the centre of public attention. Sketches and cartoons of politicians had a longer history, but they could now be printed and distributed faster and on an industrial scale.