Document Type

Thesis

First Faculty Advisor

Richard Holtzman

Second Faculty Advisor

John Dietrich

Keywords

United States President; communication; approval; image

Publisher

Bryant University

Rights Management

CC-BY

Abstract

Through an evolution of presidential communication and the development of newer communications technology, a symbiotic relationship between the president and media outlets has emerged. The president, attempting to communicate his messages to as much of the American public as possible, relies on media to spread his messages. Media outlets, on the other hand, would rather focus on more negative or drama filled aspects of the presidency. This results from a profit motive in the media industry that requires outlets to continuously gain readership, viewership and, subscribers. The best way to gain these is not by reporting the president’s policy accomplishments, but rather by reporting on topics such as partisan disagreements and scandals which the public finds significantly more interesting. Realizing these motives, the president does his best to try and influence media into acting in a manner that is favorable to them. The effectiveness of this strategy is hotly debated; however, it is generally accepted that in at least some circumstances, the president can exert some sort of influence on the way media behaves. President Trump, for example, has been able to constantly keep media attention on him through a feedback loop in which he tweets, the tweet receives press coverage, he responds to such coverage, which is then reported on again by the press. To analyze the success or failure of these tactics, this study recorded data from state public opinion polls near an event where the President had sufficient media exposure and a month later to uncover any trends or impacts. The use of state polls will also help to simulate the electoral college and potentially provide insight into how the President may fare in a reelection campaign through continued use of his media communication strategies.

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