The media has played a massive role in the 2016 election, with many attributing Donald Trump’s popularity to the coverage given to his campaign by television networks such as Fox News and CNN. But what effect does media bias have on the public’s opinion of a candidate? In new research which examines Fox News’ coverage of Barack Obama during the 2008 election, Glen Smith finds that negative coverage can influence the public’s impression of a candidate, but only very early in an election year. He also finds that partisan media likely help to lead to more divisive primary elections by making opposing viewers more negative toward their party’s eventual nominee.
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