Is the media really trying to take Trump down or are they promoting him?

[openfire]

Is the media trying to:


Take Trump down
Promote him
Not sure


There have been a lot of discussions about this in various threads, but I'm curious to know what the actual percentage is of RPF members that believe one way or another. By "media", I mean the mainstream outlets like CNN, FOX, etc..

[CPUd]

Promote

http://www.niemanlab.org/images/stray-media-6.png
http://www.niemanlab.org/images/stray-media-1.png

Percentage of online media mentions and percentage primary voters supporting each candidate, Q4 2015.
https://github.com/jstray/media-attention
http://www.niemanlab.org/2016/01/how-much-influence-does-the-media-really-have-over-elections-digging-into-the-data/

[CPUd]

https://i.imgur.com/UIFx5Ux.png

[CPUd]

But the relationship is much more complicated than it appears on the surface:



We can aspire to determine causality by comparing the timing of Google News and Google search hits for a candidate. If the press drives public interest in the candidates, spikes in Google News should precede spikes in Google searches. If instead the press is reacting to the public, Google News hits will lag search.

Unfortunately, this isn’t so easy to determine. Shifts in public and media attention tend to occur at about the same time — as you can see, for example, in the graphic below, which compares Trump’s Google News and Google search traffic from week to week.


https://i.imgur.com/bnK6P3g.png



But a regression analysis — you can read the gory details in the footnotes3 — suggests that press attention both leads and lags public attention to the candidates. This makes a lot of sense. The public can take cues from the media about which candidates to pay attention to. But the media also gets a lot of feedback from the public. Or to put it more cynically: If Trump-related stories are piling up lots of pageviews and Trump-related TV segments get good ratings, then guess what? You’re probably going to see more of them.4

This creates the possibility of a feedback loop. Some event sparks a news story about a candidate, which triggers more public attention, which encourages yet more media attention — and so on. It may help to explain why we’ve repeatedly seen the so-called “discovery, scrutiny and decline” cycle in the past two primary campaigns for candidates like Trump, Newt Gingrich and Herman Cain — bursts of attention that coincide with spikes in the polls but then fade or even burst after several weeks.

http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/donald-trump-is-the-worlds-greatest-troll/

[SpiritOf1776_J4]

for you who voted to promote him - I'm never going to hire you as my advertising agent!

[openfire]

Higher % negative coverage:

https://img.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/files/2015/09/trumptone.png&w=1484

[Antischism]

Doesn't matter; they're making a lot of money off of him and loving it.

[EBounding]

Promote him. Not because they're secretly pals though--drama and nonsense are great for ratings.

[Origanalist]

Promote him. Not because they're secretly pals though--drama and nonsense are great for ratings.

Yep, and when the time is right bring him down.

[CPUd]

709100024274100224

[sdsubball23]

Absolutely believe they've promoted him from the beginning. If it wasn't for the insane media coverage Trump has gotten, I don't think he'd have as much support as he has had and may not be leading the race today. He may not even be in race right now if it wasn't for the media coverage.

Just look at what happened to Rand and the other candidates that had even smaller support. Their media coverage wasn't that great to begin with.

I can't prove this, but I have suspicions that they may have done this on purpose to stop the true anti-establishment candidate Rand Paul. Unfortunately it's been successful and may have even hurt the liberty movement's support.

[KEEF]

709100024274100224
Had Rand be the current front runner, that story would be plastered all over in addition to articles trying to convince Boobus americanus that Rand has the most dangerous foreign policy.

[squirl22]

First they build you up, then they take you down...that's the common pattern for the media other than Obama...never took him down. Right now, they are taking Trump down.

[65fastback2+2]

they're promoting him...but using negative reinforcement because they people are searching for a non-establishment candidate.

Thus, talking negatively about about him makes him appear more and more an outsider, which in turn thus promotes him.

[dude58677]

I voted promote because they would just ignore him if they really wanted him to go away.

[erowe1]

Higher % negative coverage:

And that's just what Trump wants. Right?

[unknown]

Yep, and when the time is right bring him down.

I'm wondering how they would or could "bring him down".

What are they going to do, reveal that he's a Liberal running as a Republican? Wouldnt that actually help him in the general?

GOP debate: Donald Trump defends Planned Parenthood a second time (http://www.cbsnews.com/news/republican-debate-donald-trump-defends-planned-parenthood-a-second-time/).

Donald Trump is remaining firm on a sticking point for many Republican voters — government-funded health care for all. (http://www.statnews.com/2016/02/05/trump-cruz-universal-health-care/)

From The America We Deserve, pages 31-32:


I support a woman’s right to choose, but I am uncomfortable with the procedures. When Tim Russert asked me on Meet the Press if I would ban partial-birth abortion, my pro-choice instincts led me to say no. After the show, I consulted two doctors I respect and, upon learning more about this procedure, I have concluded that I would support a ban.

From The America We Deserve, page 102:


The Republicans walk the NRA line and refuse even limited restrictions. I generally oppose gun control, but I support the ban on assault weapons and I support a slightly longer waiting period to purchase a gun.

[erowe1]

What are they going to do, reveal that he's a Liberal running as a Republican? Wouldnt that actually help him in the general?


Not necessarily. It will turn off conservative voters, whose votes he will need. Meanwhile, liberals will still prefer the Democrat nominee.

[presence]

they are promoting him with the INTENTION of dumping him

Hillary is the 2016 potus. Her handlers are the same handlers that handled obama and bush and the other clinton and the other bush.

2016 will not change the chain of command one bit. Trump is controlled opposition.

http://i.imgur.com/UbK3yGt.png

[unknown]

Not necessarily. It will turn off conservative voters, whose votes he will need. Meanwhile, liberals will still prefer the Democrat nominee.

I think youre giving the **********s too much credit. Theyre gonna stick with their man regardless.

Plus if the MSM waits til after he gets the nomination, GOP voters will have to choose between Hilarious and Chump.

They'll take their chances with Drumpf.

[CaptUSA]

Promotion - without a doubt. Hell, even when they are speaking directly to other candidates, they are asking them questions about Trump.

Positive vs. Negative is not what matters. What matters is the narrative, and their narrative has been all about Trump. If you don't think this is promotion, then you don't understand what promotion is.

[Wilf]

I think youre giving the **********s too much credit. Theyre gonna stick with their man regardless.

Plus if the MSM waits til after he gets the nomination, GOP voters will have to choose between Hilarious and Chump.

They'll take their chances with Drumpf.

Don't be too sure.

[erowe1]

I think youre giving the **********s too much credit. Theyre gonna stick with their man regardless.


Of course they will. But they're pretty much the only ones who will support him. And there aren't nearly enough of them to win the general election.

[CaptUSA]

Of course they will. But they're pretty much the only ones who will support him. And there aren't nearly enough of them to win the general election.

Yep. For most of the population, 2016 will become a matter of which candidate scares you worst. In a typical year, Hillary would have easily been the most scary, but now...

One may even say this is the only way she could win.

[hells_unicorn]

I'm 100% sure that Trump ascendancy is completely a result of the media, but as to whether they are trying to prop him up or bring him down, I'm not sure it really matters as attempting to bring him down at this point, or any point following him first nailing down the nationalist angle, would be the same as propping him up. Giving him coverage is tantamount to giving him support, as he's mastered all the necessary triggers needed to rope in the rank-and-file low-information voter.

Most of the people on this site don't seem to understand the nature of this country's electorate, ideology is a minority concern. I didn't fully understand it myself until recently, but what ultimately matters is perception and exposure. The most manipulative politicians are often the winners, and Trump seems to have learned from the best.

[69360]

Both, they promote him until he gets the nomination and destroys the GOP, then take him down in the general.

[CaptUSA]

Both, they promote him until he gets the nomination and destroys the GOP, then take him down in the general.

I fully expect this as well. It should be pretty damned easy for them.

The bad part about that scenario, though, is that the people following Trump will blame the media, but they'll never understand what the media really did to them. They'll just think the media hates him and ruined him. They'll never comprehend that this whole Trump thing is a media creation to distract the masses from their own salvation.

[hankrichter12]

I'd say they are trying to take him down, but they are so stuck in their old habits they can't take their eyes off him and are unintentionally helping him. Crying "racist", "sexist" has been their directive for decades, they can't seem to stop doing it.

If they were planning some "pull the rug out" thing, why even bother. They could have just let Jeb win, and Hillary would beat him, they get their way, nice n easy.

I don't think those are pretend millions these guys are dumping into this nonstop barrage against Trump, these are not the type of people who like to throw around millions for nothing.


I fully expect this as well. It should be pretty damned easy for them.

The bad part about that scenario, though, is that the people following Trump will blame the media, but they'll never understand what the media really did to them. They'll just think the media hates him and ruined him. They'll never comprehend that this whole Trump thing is a media creation to distract the masses from their own salvation.

Please oh please, do tell me how I can someday become as brilliant as you? I'm just so helpless against these geniuses in the media. Man, the egos on these boards, bigger than Trumps.

[CaptUSA]

I don't think those are pretend millions these guys are dumping into this nonstop barrage against Trump, these are not the type of people who like to throw around millions for nothing.
Do you not see the Billions of dollars they are giving him?! Airtime like he's getting is the most coveted thing a candidate could want. It's why the left hated the Citizens' United ruling - because they want the monopoly on corporate spending on media. And yes, every minute they spend on Trump is a minute not spent on something else. What you see as "attacks" on Trump, most of us in here see as drama-building. They play and Trump plays along with them.

If this was any other candidate in any other situation, you'd probably understand that they have a candidate that does their bidding and they give him their most precious commodity. It's a pretty nice symbiosis. Hell, even when they are talking to other candidates, they spend most of the time asking them about Trump. You don't have to be a genius to see what's going on, you just have to be aware.

[hankrichter12]

Do you not see the Billions of dollars they are giving him?! Airtime like he's getting is the most coveted thing a candidate could want. It's why the left hated the Citizens' United ruling - because they want the monopoly on corporate spending on media. And yes, every minute they spend on Trump is a minute not spent on something else. What you see as "attacks" on Trump, most of us in here see as drama-building. They play and Trump plays along with them.

If this was any other candidate in any other situation, you'd probably understand that they have a candidate that does their bidding and they give him their most precious commodity. It's a pretty nice symbiosis. Hell, even when they are talking to other candidates, they spend most of the time asking them about Trump. You don't have to be a genius to see what's going on, you just have to be aware.

OK, are you willing to put your money where you mouth is? We'll keep it small. How about a silver round? So, if he wins the nomination, it's your position that the media will flip some switch and take him out, fine, so how is that going to happen? You say the negative press helps him (which I don't disagree with) so will they:

A. Ignore him

B. Bring out some scandal they've been holding back

C. Trump will reveal he was with Hillary all along and played everyone for fools

Which is it? I'm a man of my word, if any of that happens, I'll send you the round, you want to take me up on it, or just keep pretending you're 10 times smarter than you are?

[69360]

Please oh please, do tell me how I can someday become as brilliant as you? I'm just so helpless against these geniuses in the media. Man, the egos on these boards, bigger than Trumps.

So you joined RPF this month after Rand had already dropped out?

Sock puppet or troll. Guess it really doens't matter anymore does it?

[hankrichter12]

So you joined RPF this month after Rand had already dropped out?

Sock puppet or troll. Guess it really doens't matter anymore does it?

No clown, been here for months, check "hankricther12", I forgot my password and didn't have my GMail anymore - not that it matters when I started here, has nothing to do with whether or not I'm right or wrong, nice red herring.