1.5 Did the Media Make Trump

Vox: "Yes, blame the media for Donald Trump. Up the point."

1. What do people who do blame the media for Trump argue that they did? 

They contend that journalists gave Trump a disproportionally large quantity of coverage, boosting his popularity among voters who keep up with media. 

2. What did Berelson and Lazarsfeld find in their study of media impact?

They found very little evidence that media on its own influences for whom voters should vote. Voters' choices depend on a variety of influences, especially social environment. 

3. What aspects of the election does the media tend to focus on?

Media has the greatest effect on people's preferences during primaries and caucuses, and thus, focus on covering those. 

4. What does "priming" mean?'

Priming refers to the way the press can influence the standards by which audiences evaluate a candidate. 

5. What does the article claim is the main thing the media did that impacted Trump's success?

Trump succeeded in garnering the Republican nomination due to the large number of news stories and amount of free media coverage about his candidacy that towered over those of his Republican rivals.

6. What impacts did this (#5) have exactly?

Covering Trump so often made viewers believe that Trump's candidacy and his views on policies such as trade and immigration were to be considered seriously. It also placed the political agenda of his rivals at an inferior position compared to his. 

The Atlantic: "Stop Blaming the Media for Trump"

7. What evidence does this author use to refute the claims that Trump has benefited from the coverage?

Trump has not benefited from the large-scale media coverage because such has resulted in being negatively viewed by 70% of voters and being 12 points behind Clinton in election polls. 

8. When does the author claim that media coverage is most important to a candidate?

Media exposure is most important during the invisible primary in order to secure donors and insiders' preference and rise in the polls. 

9. How does the article characterize the media coverage of Trump during the primaries?

He was receiving more positive or neutral media coverage than his opponents, showing how the strength of such early coverage indicated voters' interest. 

10. Why does the author claim that the "media is the effect, not the cause?"

Large media coverage was not the cause of Trump's rise in the primaries but the result of such because the media only started paying attention and covering him more after seeing that he was gaining in the polls and attracting large crowds.