Trumping the News: A High-Frequency Analysis
Abstract
Do mainstream media outlets actively amplify politicians' social media statements, and does this amplification influence individuals' political opinions? I first study cable news coverage of Donald J. Trump's tweets using novel high-frequency coverage measures for CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC. I show that Trump was able to set the agenda of cable news outlets through Twitter, with cable outlets covering his tweets minutes after these had been posted. I then leverage a large public opinion survey to investigate the impact of TV coverage of Trump's tweets on public opinion. I find that CNN's coverage of Donald J. Trump's tweets caused CNN viewers to decrease their approval of President Trump hours after coverage. Conversely, coverage on Fox News resulted in an increase in President Trump's approval ratings among Fox News viewers. These findings shed light on a new channel through which social media impacts individuals' political opinions, potentially fuelling political polarization.
About this workshop
The Political Economy + AI seminar is an online seminar focused on political economy research using AI and computational methods. We welcome work in progress and methods talks on these topics.
Formerly the Public Governance working group, the seminar is organized jointly by King's College London and Université Paris-Dauphine – PSL.
More information can be found on the website of the Political Economy + AI seminar.
Periodicity: Mondays from 17h30 to 18h30 (Paris time).