Trumpism: How Agenda Setting in the Media Drove a Movement Angela Jean Caulk Iowa State University
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Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Graduate Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 2016 Trumpism: How agenda setting in the media drove a movement Angela Jean Caulk Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd Part of the Political Science Commons Recommended Citation Caulk, Angela Jean, "Trumpism: How agenda setting in the media drove a movement" (2016). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 15275. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd/15275 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Trumpism: How agenda setting in the media drove a movement by Angela Jean Caulk A thesis submitted to the graduate faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS Major: Political Science Program of Study Committee: David Andersen, Major Professor Raluca Cozma Tessa Ditonto David Peterson The student author and the program of study are solely responsible for the content of this thesis. The Graduate College will ensure this thesis is globally accessible and will not permit alterations after a degree is conferred. Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 2017 Copyright © Angela Jean Caulk, 2017. All rights reserved. ii DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to my son, Alec Damon Caulk. I hope my hard work and dedication will inspire you to greatness. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... v LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................ vii ABSTRACT……………………………….................................................................................. viii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................... 1 Agenda-setting theory: Trump, media, and the American Voter .............................. 2 Overview ..................................................................................................... 3 CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE .................................................................. 5 Trumpism ......................................................................................................... 5 Populism ......................................................................................................... 6 Agenda Setting ..................................................................................................... 8 CHAPTER 3 METHODS: CONTENT ANALYSIS ...................................................... 12 Population and Sample ........................................................................................ 13 Data Collection ..................................................................................................... 14 CHAPTER 4 RESULTS: CONTENT ANALYSIS ........................................................ 17 Terrorism and Economic Insecurity ..................................................................... 21 Establishment vs. Anti-establishment ................................................................. 22 CHAPTER 5 METHODS: SURVEY ......................................................................... 26 CHAPTER 6 RESULTS: SURVEY ............................................................................ 30 CHAPTER 7 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS .................................................... 43 Limitations............................................................................................................ 46 Implications .......................................................................................................... 47 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................ 49 iv APPENDIX A: IRB APPROVAL ...................................................................................... 54 APPENDIX B: SURVEY ................................................................................................. 55 v LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1: Perceived Amounts of Coverage ................................................................ 30 vi LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1. Weekly Transcripts ....................................................................................... 16 Table 2. Total Amounts of Coverage .......................................................................... 18 Table 3. Amounts of Coverage by Network ............................................................. 19 Table 4. Themes of Trumpism in Coverage ............................................................. 21 Table 5. Demographics ............................................................................................ 27 Table 6. Perceived Amount of Coverage by Party Affiliation .................................. 31 Table 7. Perceived Amount of Coverage by Vote .................................................... 32 Table 8. Perceived Frame of Coverage by Party Affiliation ....................................... 33 Table 9. Perceived Frame of Coverage by Vote ....................................................... 33 Table 10. Perceived Amount of Coverage by Preferred News Network .................. 34 Table 11. Perceived Frame of Coverage by Preferred News Network ...................... 35 Table 12. Establishment vs. Anti-establishment Question by Party Affiliation…………. 36 Table 13. Establishment vs. Anti-establishment Question by Vote .......................... 37 Table 14. Media Bias Policy Frame Question by Party Affiliation.............................. 38 Table 15. Media Bias Policy Frame Question by Vote ............................................... 39 Table 16. Media Bias Personal Frame Question by Party Affiliation ......................... 40 Table 17. Media Bias Personal Frame Question by Vote ........................................... 41 Table 18. Lack of Candidate Coverage Question by Party Affiliation ........................ 41 Table 19. Lack of Candidate Coverage Question by Vote .......................................... 42 vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my committee chair, Dr. David Andersen, and my committee members, Dr. Raluca Cozma, Dr. Tessa Ditonto, and Dr. David Peterson, for their guidance and support throughout the course of this research. Cohorts are an important part of any Master’s program, and on that note, there are two members of my cohort who deserve to be singled out. First, it is important to thank my officemate, Miranda Wehde. We kept each afloat and on track throughout this process. Second, I would also like to thank Madeline Salucka for always being willing to answer my questions no matter how silly they were. These two amazing women helped me reach the final step in a long journey. In addition, I would also like to thank my friends, colleagues, the department faculty and staff for making my time at Iowa State University a wonderful experience. I want to also thank the professors, staff, and countless friend from my undergraduate institution, Dickinson State University. Lastly, I need to thank President Donald Trump, if his inflated ego had not driven him into the 2016 race, this thesis would not have been possible. viii ABSTRACT This study will look at agenda setting in the media and how it aided in the spread of Trumpism. Broadcasts of the three major cable news networks were looked at. The constructed-week method was used to produce a sample of 36 shows that represent 12 days during the selected time frame. A descriptive qualitative content analysis was then used to examine the coverage relating to the main themes of the Trump campaign: immigration, terrorism, crime, economic insecurity, and populism. A survey was then conducted to show how the themes found affected voter behavior. The study found that the amount of coverage signaled to the public that Trump was the most important candidate, and the theme of establishment versus anti-establishment painted Trump as the anti-establishment candidate who was battling the powers that be within the Republican Party. 1 CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION The 2016 election cycle was anything but conventional; with reality TV star Donald Trump becoming the presidential nominee of the Republican Party, it left a segment of the public wondering how we came to this state of political affairs. Amongst the confusion, a new term was born: Trumpism. What is Trumpism? According to Dr. David E. Tabachnick of Nipissing University, Trumpism consists of four principles: celebrity, nativism, the outsider persona, and a populist appeal (2016). This study looks for those themes and others including, terrorism, crime, and economic insecurity in the coverage of Trump from the three cable news networks: CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC. For this study, it is also important to look at the candidate being studied in a more meaningful way. This is because the United States has not witnessed the rise of a major-party candidate who espouses both a nativist platform and populist appeal since the Know-Nothing Party of the 1850s and the McCarthy era. As the focus of this study is how agenda setting spread Trumpism,