Media and Politics A Descriptive Analysis on CNN and Fox News with Focus on President Trump’s Coronavirus Management Media och Politik En analys på CNN & Fox News med Fokus på President Trumps coronavirus strategi

Ndey Ramou Darboe

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Political Science III: Independent Research and Investigative Work Bachelor’s Thesis: 15 Hp Suoervisor: Mette Marie Stähr Harder Examiner: Mikael Granberg Date: 28-05-2021 Serial Number: 1

Abstract

The US is one of the oldest democratic states in the world, and exemplary to many countries. One of the core principles of democracy is freedom of the press. America adopted the freedom of the press as one of the ten amendments that constitute the Bill of Rights on December 15th, 1791. This bill permits information, ideas and opinions without interference constraints or prosecution by the government. Freedom of the press is incredibly important as it allows the media to freely report and inform the public on events occurring in society. Moreover, an important facet of democracy is that the public will have the ability to discuss, debate, and engage in politics. Thus, it is our human right to be able to present or share information without being censored. The coronavirus outbreak has had an impact on governments all over the globe. One of the most controversial leaders during the coronavirus pandemic has been President Trump. Media networks in the United States have continuously presented President Trump's Coronavirus management in the wake of the pandemic. This study will examine how CNN and Fox News’ presentation of Trump using a descriptive analysis method. This study will be examining the network's presentation of President Trump's coronavirus responses between March 11th, 2020 - March 31st, 2020 using articles from both parties. The results from this study indicate that although CNN and Fox News presented factual information, which is Trump's management of the crisis in March, their presentations contained impressions and indications of the networks’ opinions. The results from this paper indicate that CNN and Fox News' presentations of Trump were not based on facts and objectivity alone. Their presentation contained inclinations and impressions of Trump’s actions and statements.

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Table of Context

1 Introduction…………………………………………………………………..4 1.2 Research Problem…………………………………………………………….5 1.3 Research Purpose……………………………………………………………..6 1.4 Disposition……………………………………………………………………7 2 Theoretical Framework……………………………………………………….8 2.1 The importance of media in politics…………………………………………..8 2.2 Defining the role of the media in a democracy………………………………..9 3 Previous Research……………………………………………………………..13 4 Empirical Background…..……………………………………………………15 4.1 Media within the US………………………………………………………….15 4.2 Fox News & CNN…………………………………………………………….16 5 Methodology……………………………………………………………………18 5.1 Design & Method..……………………………………………………………18 5.2 Descriptive Analysis as a Method..……………………………………………18 5.3 Operationalization……………………………………………………………..19 5.4 Choice of Material……………………………………………………………..21 5.5 Delimitation……………………………………………………………………21 6 Empirical Analysis……………………………………………………………..22 7 Results & Conclusions………………………………………………………….34 7.1 Results & Discussion…………………………………………………………..34 7.2 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………..37 8 References……………………………………………………………………….40 9 Appendix A……..………………………………………………………………..47 9.1 Appendix B…...………………………………………………………………...48

3 1 Introduction Over the years there has been an increase in the political phenomenon in the American media, which is of great concern. As a result of this, scholars (Hamilton 2005, Barber & Pope 2018, Baum et al 2019, Baum & Pottter 2018, Prior 2013, Baum & Young 2019) have defined and uncovered polarization as well as the different mechanisms behind media presentation. The relationship between the media and the general public is dominated by newspapers, broadcast television, and post-war consensus (Baum et al. 2019, p. 2). The media realm contributes and bears responsibility for a more well-informed and engaged public. As a result of this, approaches to the different media presentations have been investigated with the certainty that the media has a tremendous impact on how politics and political figures are presented in the media to the public. Thus, scholars such as Hamilton have studied media presentations as related to politics (Hamilton 2005, p. 655). Arguing that several national media networks were established in the United States to keep their audiences well-informed on politics, as well as other events occurring in the nation. Furthermore, the establishment of media networks has strengthened the choices accessible to the population and this has allowed media networks to develop certain niche news programming (Hamilton 2005, p. 667).

However, the consequences of the niche as mentioned by Hamilton, Groeling argues that the biased news could threaten the development of democracy. This is because when a network presents news in a partisan manner, there is a possibility that it could impact the viewer's perception regarding a certain phenomenon. Thus, heightens polarization within the nation as one can not assert that the news presented is based on facts. Media networks have evolved into a significant aspect of contemporary political and social phenomena (Groeling 2013). Furthermore, in a two-party majoritarian system as in the case of the US are visible indicators of polarization as the media influence electorates by presenting biased news concerning their leader (Baum 2018, p. 22). This information divides the population ”us” vs ”them” brackets (Baum 2018, p. 22). Scholars mentioned above came to similar conclusions in terms of the media presentation of political phenomena. Arguing that there are certain criteria the media must uphold in a democracy. That it is of utmost importance that the information to be presented to the public must be accurate and factual and should under no circumstance be based on ideologies or political affiliation. The reason for this argument is because if a partisan media presentation approach is adopted, it would increase polarization in the nation. As the audiences who are the voters could easily be influenced by the news presented to them. As the voters will not be able to form their understanding and opinion regarding political issues.

Since the academics focused on media presentation with regards to politics it is of great relevance and importance in conjunction with the current coronavirus pandemic, how it is presented in the media. This research aims to utilize a descriptive analysis of the American media relating to the Covid-19 pandemic.

4 Media networks all over the world have paid great attention to Trump since the outbreak of the coronavirus. This is due to his irrational behavior he is known for, therefore an analysis of how media networks presented President Trump’s coronavirus management in March 2020 will be examined. This will be conducted by examining and paying attention to the mainstream media networks in the US; Cable News Network (CNN) & Fox News Network. Sources that will be used are articles presented by them between March 11th, 2020 - March 31st, 2020. These articles will be analyzed from various theoretical perspectives regarding the media’s role in a democracy. This study argues that from a political perspective, the phenomena are presented in different ways from the viewpoint of the networks. Fox News is less critical of Trump’s management because their presentations were further explanations of Trump’s statements or actions. Whereas CNN criticized and indicated mismanagement in Trump's efforts to resolve the crisis. The conclusion was drawn that although CNN & Fox News presented factual information, which is Trump's management of the crisis in March, their presentations contained impressions and indications of the networks’ opinions.

1.2 Research Problem The US has remained one of the most powerful nations in the world. A population and media networks that maintain diverse democratic ideals and values. Despite these principles, the country has suffered various challenges concerning politics which feed into additional problems of government accountability and national stability (Barber & McCarty 2013, 1–2). McCarty (2020, p.10–11) argues that polarization is connected to high levels of opposing political ideologies because it reduces one’s capacity to adjust to changes regarding socio-economic politics. The ever-evolving media realm has been associated with increasing polarization due to the media’s influence on one’s beliefs and “political behavior” (Campante & Hojman 2013, p. 80). This is because the media presentations are considered to include personal opinions about political phenomena or figures. Which their audiences could agree with, whereas media presentations regarding political figures without presentations are based on facts alone (Campante & Hojman 2013, p. 80–81). Thus scholars have extensively examined the relationship between the American media and politics. The term polarization stems from ‘polarity’ which means ‘having two opposite or contradictory tendencies, opinions, and aspects'” (McCarty 2020 p.9).

According to McCarty (2020, p. 10), political scholars often examine polarization in the context of politics and governance. In two-party systems, as in the case of America, political polarization refers to political beliefs and partisanship. This means that political polarization has become a characterizing facet of politics in America as it embodies ideological differences. Baum (2019) explains that it contributes to creating additional gaps between groups, producing ideology-based news (partisan news), or leading groups to become ideologically extreme. One of the greatest risks of polarization in the media is it could lead to political instability in the nation as the public tends to consume only one-sided versions of political debates omitting relevant and factual information. Hence partisan news media 5 broadens the different views of the public by influencing public opinion by projecting “one-sided versions of issues” (Baum et al 2019, p. 2). Thus one could assert that increasing political polarization in America is connected to more choices in media networks. This is due to audiences gravitating to media presentations that echo their political leaning (Baum et al 2019, p.2). Although there is a connection, there are different perspectives of the role of the partisan media in the political realm because formerly the media reflected polarization whereas now the media is believed to cause polarization (Baum p. 3-4).

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has had an impact on every nation on the globe, the USA was one of the most affected nations with regards to infection and death rates, high unemployment, and the economy (The Lancet 2020). Statistical data indicated that over 8 million Americans have been infected with the virus and almost 100000 deaths (WHO 2020, p. 4). In an attempt to control its effect, governments have developed and implemented coronavirus policies. However, the management strategies adopted by each country in handling the pandemic varied. Instinctively, media networks both in America and internationally presented coronavirus management responses daily. The data presented above caused different reactions in the American media concerning President Trump’s Covid-19 management. President Trump's response to the pandemic stirred a lot of controversies not only in the US but internationally as well. Trump made controversial political statements regarding the pandemic both on Social Media and in interviews. Therefore, this research problem focuses on the polarization of the American media focusing on the different presentations and reporting of Fox and CNN news networks regarding President Trump’s management of the pandemic outbreak in March 2020.

1.3 Research Purpose The purpose of this research is to study media polarization during the pandemic. This is analyzed through a qualitative analysis of how Fox News and CNN present President Trump’s management of the coronavirus outbreak in the month of March. The paper will focus on the period of March 11th, 2020 - March 31st, 2020, i.e the first month the coronavirus outbreak was declared a pandemic. Data that describes how CNN & Fox News presents their story concerning the way Trump managed the coronavirus pandemic will be collected. The decision to study these two media networks is because they are generally pitted against each other and their reliability has been challenged over the last decade. The research question that this study aims to answer is:

• How has CNN and Fox News presented President Trump’s coronavirus crisis management in the month of March 2020?

6 1.4 Disposition This paper contains 7 chapters. Chapter 2 contains the theoretical framework of the study. Chapter 3 is based on the previous research conducted in this field. Chapter 4 is heavily based on the backgrounds of both CNN and Fox News channels. Chapter 5 encompasses the research design, analytical tools, and methodological approach as well as the bases for the chosen methods. In chapter 6, the articles from the media networks will be analyzed to determine how the networks present Trump's coronavirus management in March. Finally, chapter 7, contains the results and concluding discussions of the findings of this paper.

7 2 Theoretical Framework

This chapter presents the theoretical framework used in this research. Firstly, theories that concern the media’s role in a democracy and its relevance in this study will be presented. These theories were chosen because this study aims to examine how CNN and Fox News presented Trump’s coronavirus management in March. The theoretical starting point of this study will be clarified which is democratic standards for the media in a democracy.

2.1 The importance of media in politics Although there is no common definition of ‘Mass Media’, one can argue that it has been an integral part of modern politics and thus the doctrine of political science (Garber & Dunaway 2000, p. 25). However, scholars in political science are yet to pinpoint the extent of media impact on political figures, administration, or political happenings. This is due to differing legal guidelines depending on the form of the regime in a country (Garber & Dunaway 2000, p. 25). Consequently, Garber & Dunaway (2000, p. 1, 25) affirm that the information presented by the media shapes the public's opinion on political figures and political phenomena. The impressions created by the media regarding political figures as Americans perceive the media to “inform them of the government’s wrongdoing” (Garber & Dunaway 2000, p. 1). Waldhal (2004) asserts that the media is important because it enables the public to engage in politics. Politics is perceived as attaining a position of power and thus has an impact on the population.

Scholars describe mass media functioning as having a: “ a key role in enabling citizens to monitor the actions of incumbents and to use this information in their voting decisions” (Besley, Burgess & Prat 2002, p. 2-3).

Moreover, Page (1996, p. 20) implies that the media as a “political actor” is a role given to the media to observe political phenomena could be analyzed stating:

“A critical question, therefore, concerns whether - or to what extent - media outlets do in fact use their publications and broadcasts in a purposive and unified fashion to pursue policy objectives.” (Page 1996, p. 20)

Reciprocally, with relevance to this paper, in theory, the mass media is characterized as the subject that informs and influences the public on the issue in our policies and actions implemented by governments. This entails that the media serves as surveillance to uncover why or how people in positions of power implement decisions or politics. Thus the media must impartially analyze political behavior because the mass media has power in America. This is due to the media being viewed as a surveillance mechanism;

8 thus it has an impact on how we view the state for their interpretation of political behavior could set standards on how their viewers view the state (Garber & Dunaway 2000, p. 4). If news regarding certain political figures is biased then the audience is not getting factual information. As we recognized in the 2016 election campaign in America, the information presented by CNN and Fox News was based on the beliefs and opinions of the respective network. The audience pays attention to media networks to follow news presented about political figures. Therefore, opinion-based news presentation is against and contradicts the role of the media in a democracy. This means that when we are examining how a media network presents a political figure or an administration's actions, we intend to find out whether they are based on facts or opinions. This indicates that when news presentation is based on ideological perspectives, political polarization in the media and possibly the nation gets increased because their audiences get impacted by them.

2.2 Defining the role of the media in a democracy The theoretical framework of the media displays considerable attention to the role of the media in a democracy. The media plays a crucial role in a democratic system. For the media to uphold its responsibility of presenting news in an unbiased manner and transparent, freedom of the press must be allowed. Scientist Waldhal contends that it is difficult for average citizens to comprehend the political climate within a nation. The media must adhere to guidelines in explaining political events so that the public can analyze actions by political figures (Waldhal 2004, p. 13). According to Waldhal (2004), the media is regarded as the fourth estate in a democracy and must contribute to democracy by reporting on political parties and figures in an independent form. Freedom of the press can range from state to independent ownership that communicates news regarding different events in the nation (Imanyara 1992). Thus the media is assumed to assess various happenings to provide information to electorates for them to base their decisions.

Rather than expecting citizens to comprehend all political problems themselves, the media should provide objective and transparent information to the public. Thus, the public heavily relies on the media to explain all existing political phenomena. The implication is that the public relies on media interpretations of political problems, and political figures should consider the citizens' opinions in political affairs (Waldhal 2004, p.13). Media networks must provide answers to whether politicians conform to their obligations by independently evaluating manifestos, policies, and programs of political parties (Waldhal 2004, p.13). By monitoring political phenomena, the media can explain what political parties represent to make the decision-making process better for citizens. Being that democracy encompasses the decision of the majority regarding societal issues, Waldhal (2004, p.14) argues that productive decisions can only be made if electorates are politically aware. The argument here is that if the media neglect reporting factual information the public will not make political decisions and will

9 affect their participation in the democracy. Objective and transparent news presentations will influence the choice made in the decision-making process in a democracy. For that reason, the media’s function in a democratic system is to put forth news concerning the political realm to oversee whether politicians are conforming to their obligations to the public for the public to make decisions in elections (Waldhal 2004, p.13-14). By studying theories of the media's role in a democracy, this paper will have the ability to investigate how CNN and Fox News presented Trump’s management of the coronavirus in March.

Whether media networks are state or private-owned, their responsibility in democracy remains the same (Imanyara 1992, p.20-21). Which is to provide transparent and non-partisan information to the public. The media is vital in democratization because it is a self-sufficient forum that holds the freedom of the press to inform the public what they want (Imanyara 1992, p. 21). Comprehending the role of the media in democratization helps enhance a more informed environment society so it can be categorized as the competence to offer a foundation to understand how certain political phenomena are conveyed to the audience. Imanyaya states an important component of the media in democratization that can be utilized to analyze media presentation (Imanyara 1992, p. 21):

“Generally, the role of the press in democratization has been that of an independent forum and mouthpiece of crusaders of change. The openness of the alternative press to the public and its bold approach to sensitive and critical political issues have had the cumulative effect of inciting the general public to wake up to their democratic rights and demand change” (1992, p. 21).

Imanyara asserts that privatization should be something media companies should strive for because through independence that good reportage can be conducted (Imanyara 1992). This lays a foundation for transparency in the media. According to Imanyara (1992, p.21–22), private ownership will ensure that political discord or conflicts with governments are avoided. In that way, the government can be held accountable for its actions. In this case, news presenters have to enhance public education regarding politics, especially elections. Imanyara’s argument points out that media ownership is essential in a democracy because the government will not have control over the press.

This begs the question of what role the independent media play in a democracy aspect in regards to polarization? Baum and Groeling, Hamilton (2005 p. 667, 2008, p.1–2) assert that there has been a rise in independent media networks in recent years. This caused media networks to report fair and balanced news to their consumers. However, it is in an attempt to market their self-identification news to their targeted audiences (Hamilton 2005, p. 666–667). Therefore influence the public’s political agenda by competing. When independent media have their agenda, it means that they intend to influence public opinion to support their presentations (Hamilton 2005, p.655–667). Therefore they have an important role in constructing and framing their audiences' thoughts concerning political problems. Baum and 10 Groeling (2008, p.2) state a democratic system, the media raises awareness concerning issues that they perceive to be important. Which can affect the perception of the audience to be important as well (Baum & Groeling 2008, p.2). Similarly, Zaller (1999, p. 3) argues that media politics is driven by conflict in the self-centeredness and objectives of key actors. The goal of the media is to present stories to captivate large audiences and therefore puts great emphasis on “Independent and Significant Voice of Journalists” (Zaller 1999, p.3). Here, the argument is that competition amongst media networks allows their audiences to determine the kind of news they consume (Zaller 1999, p.4).

This causes biased news presentation because both political figures and the media share the same passion in making independent contrition in their news reportage. Hence there are merely conventions in the news, not objectivity. These impressions form the opinions of their audience on political issues because of how media presentation enhances polarization (Gaber 2000, p. 38). Hence, media politics is essentially driven by the contrasting interests of journalists, political figures, and the public, because each of these groups scrambles to achieve its agenda in politics and conceivable political communication (Zaller 1999, p.4). In this case, the media’s presentation is strategic as they analyze news in a manner that reflects their personal goals and agendas. Zaller (1999, p.39) maintains that the media hide their agenda from the public by stressing that they analyze political phenomena to enhance citizens' knowledge concerning political events. On the other hand, their presentations are merely ideological justifications of political issues (Zaller 1999, p.39). Consequently, the most successful journalists and media organizations in media politics (which is essentially a competition) are the ones that print stories that appeal to their audiences. This means that political news coverage in the media may differ depending on their owners' agenda, and these differences could be at a detriment to democracy because the media could sway people in political affairs. Thus the audiences won't have factual and objective information on whether the government is being accountable. Rather, they will have information that is based on ideological justifications which could heighten polarization in a democracy, and thus the decision-making process for the citizens (Baum & Groeling 2008, p.2). If audiences consume ideologically partisan news networks, the consequence is that they will only be exposed to one perspective of political issues and thus won't possess the full factual information to make effective decisions concerning politics. The citizens' role in a democracy is to acquire objective information to make political decisions. Baum and Groeling (2008, p.4) assert that audiences become self-isolated in the news they consume and embrace an extremist perception of the news, thus having a negative perception of the different political views.

Gaber (2000, p. 38) asserts electorates do not obtain a detailed portrayal of the political sphere, instead, they receive particular sequels of impressions. This entails that there are merely conventions in the news, not objectivity. These impressions form the opinions of their audience on political issues because of how

11 media presentation enhances polarization (Gaber 2000, p. 38). Garbe’s (2000, p. 38) conclusion is relevant to this study because if this study shows that either network is biased, their presentation is not objective. Whereas the democratic participation theory perspective to journalism (and the media) focuses on the promotion of politically involved citizens (McQuail 1983). It primarily centralized principles as inclusion and expression by way of varied communicative techniques (Ferree et al. 2002). Whereas from a democratic elite theory or representative liberal theory perspective, for democracy to operate properly, the media must accurately narrate the extent of running elite perspective (Baker 2002; Ferree et Al. 2002). The media must examine and monitor the behavior of elected politicians and their attitudes, and critically cover public affairs to detect whether there is corruption or incompetence within governments. Habermas (1984, p.85-117) affirms that the media’s role is to create a hegemony-free atmosphere where the most reasonable argument can win in pursuit of social agreement. The quality of the content is most significant because there is a wide range of information that the citizens can assume. Curran et al (2000) argue that news networks do not characterize or define politics more than political systems entirely regulate the news; there is constant interaction between the two. Instead, one should focus on the interactions between the media and political figures to attempt and characterize the boundaries these two institutions possess with one another as power tools (Curran et al 2000). Curran et al (2000) assert that the mediatization of politics enables journalism to sit as a representative for civil society. In this way, the media questions political egotism and misconduct.

12 3 Previous Research There has been extensive research conducted with different aims and methods of uncovering and explaining the relationship between political phenomena and the American media. Media presentations regarding political issues have publicized political belief systems in America i.e Republicans and Democrats. The US is made up of a two-party majoritarian system, Republicans and Democrats (Baum 2019). One of the main differences between Republican and Democrat beliefs is that conservatives are in support of maintaining the status quo, they are against change. (Baum & Potters 2018, p.2). As a result of this, the current media and information realm increases polarization within the nation as citizens are likely to acquire information that pertains to their representatives. Baum and Potters (2018, p.2) argue that news networks have indicated political ideologies in their presentation of information. Audiences interpret the information presented to them based on political views. Therefore contemporary political information atmospheres lack ”moderation” from prominent media networks or popular engagement with opposing beliefs prompt constituents to disapprove of opposition leaders and blindly support their leaders (Baum & Potters 2018, p. 3). Thus, political ideologies directly impact how news is presented and how it is interpreted by the citizens. Although news networks aim to hold the government accountable, one could assume that their presentations are less likely to be received by Americans with partisan views (Baum & Potters 2018, p. 23). A prime example is the 2016 US elections. Americans mainly assessed the information that they agreed with. This research conclusion is vital to this study because it highlights the media's role in a democracy in impacting the public’s role in a democratic state. If the audiences are being presented with political ideology biased news then it prompts diverse political challenges to the citizen’s abilities to be knowledgeable to enact as productive democratic citizens. Furthermore, it testifies to a polarized society and polarized media landscape.

In previous research conducted by Baum and Young (2019, p. 9) it is asserted that partisan media primarily refers to cable news networks. According to Baum and Young (2019) cable television networks host news analysis programs that aim to appeal to ”narrow niches” of the public. That is specific subgroups of the public rather than striving to be all things to all people. The main difference in politics and news is ideological beliefs, this means that the ideological difference between Republicans and Democrats over the last 50 years has accelerated ideological polarization on matters relating to public policy. Prior (2013) uncovered that there is no firm indication that partisan media are causing American citizens to become more partisan. People’s political beliefs have become an important fact in uncovering polarization. Therefore partisan media could steer American citizens to support more partisan candidates and policies and thus ignite polarization (Prior 2013 p.2). Individuals could recognize certain news networks' presentations because they are more in line with their views. Because ideologically detailed news content could attract citizens who share the same political leanings as the journalists and therefore contribute to political polarization. Donald Trump is one of the most polarizing

13 political figures of our time. Most of his political opinions are posted on his Twitter page hence why research about Trump’s tweet is referenced in this paper. Trump’s use of Twitter is outstanding as he’s the only president of the United States who has frequently utilized a social media platform for personal emphasis.

Baum and Groeling (2008, p.10) conclude in research about Democrats and Republicans perceptions of Trump’s tweet that partisanship and polarization were highly polarized in absolute terms, although there were findings of hidden agreements between Republicans and Democrats regarding which tweets were considered better and which were considered worse. This was detected both in the survey and platform- based measure of support, which adds to the validity of this study. Furthermore, it was discovered that Republicans are less responsive to Trump's tweets as they supported insults centered around Democrats than Republicans which infers with previous studies concerning this reporting suggesting that political identity is an important factor in shaping political support (Barber & Pope 2018). Studying research that analyses Trump’s tweets and their impact is of great relevance to this study because Trump’s tweets during the pandemic have resulted in media networks presenting them (which is the focus of this study; examining how CNN and Fox News present him), and thus will be analyzed. These researches are relevant to my research questions as they tackle media presentations regarding political behavior. With previous research on the media and political polarization, I hope that the reader gathers additional knowledge on previous research on political polarization and the media to comprehend the purpose of this study.

14 4 Empirical Background 4.1 Media within the US

After the second world war, the media in the United States became more diverse, in terms of the print monopoly and Television networks. The national media, previously dominated by print media namely newspapers since the late 1600s. This increased global access to information about the different phenomena in America. In its evolving journey within the nation, various television and live audio programs were established. Satellite technology at the time authorized table networks in America, particularly cable networks. This was intending to achieve an international range of audiences. The foundation of interactive media gave rise to the development of digital technology such as the telephone, computer and television further highlighted the beginning of the 21st century. The rise and easily accessible electronic and print media has offered Americans a wide range of news and entertainment options and has thus become a common facet in American societies. Previous research conducted by Mediamark indicated that 98% of America owns a television; 71% watch cable programming every week and 82% of Americans watch prime time television. Additionally, 79% of Americans are newspaper readers, 45% attain access to the internet. It is important to note that the percentage changes depending on the demographic, and 84% of Americans listen to the radio frequency (Media Markt).

4.2 Fox News & CNN

Cable News Network, Inc, commonly known as CNN is the first 24-hour news network. CNN was established by broadcasting executive Ted Turner and the first show was aired on June 1, 1980 (CNN 2020). Initially, CNN faced great criticism from the media broadcast realm due to its monetary resources, yet the network continued to gain followers due to its provision of full coverage of all news circumstances both on a small and large scale (History 2009). This was a feature that was not available with the major networks at that time. With the motivation to offer its audiences both nationally and internationally information about different occurrences by adopting a system or policy that banned exclusionary words such as ”foreign” and ”here at home” from its news broadcasts (CNN 2020). The network is mostly known for its live coverage of ”breaking news”, some of which has generated criticism for being sensationalistic. Previous research indicated that 97.7% of television households in America have CNN, with viewers in over 200 countries (CNN 2020). This ranks CNN third in viewership among online sites with an average of viewers (Pew Research 2011). CNN is generally perceived as a Democrat news network that tends to include personal opinions in their analysis and news coverage without simply labeling it as such (Pew Research).

Fox News is one of the main cable news sources that offer its audience political content consistently. The Fox News Channel was founded in 1996 by Rupert Murdoch after a failed purchase attempt at the Cable News Network (CNN). and it was formerly governed by the Fox News Entertainment Group 15 (Dellavigna & Kaplan, p. 5). Which is the television and film department of Rupert Murdoch 21st Century Fox. According to Ray (2017, p. 2), immediately after the network was established, it was branded due to Murdoch hiring analysts and administrators who were considered conservative to attract republican audiences. Former republican political consultant Roger Ailes was recruited to supervise the network, which prompted assumptions of political leanings (as relates to Ailes’s beliefs) the more success the network garnered (Dellavigna & Kaplan, p. 6-9). However, the news network dealt with these assumptions of being predominantly conservative by affirming that it was ”fair and balanced” as opposed to the media sphere that is deemed to be maintaining a liberal bias (Ray 2017, p. 2). According to Ray (2017), the accusation of conservative/republican bias could be noticeable in their interviews from the O’Reilly show and analytical contributions from republican political figures such as Rick Santorum. In the early 2000s, the network earned continual viewings through new shows that were headed by media personalities such as Megyn Kelly (Ray 2017).

CNN and Fox News have been in a long-standing competition and rivalry with one another. The rivalry is rooted in their ideologies and political affiliation. This led to the networks presenting news differently. Despite their different methods, both parties have a wide range of audiences. These news networks attain the opportunity to present and frame the news around current political phenomena through different programs and articles. These networks hold the power to convey stories about different political events and thus could display a tendency of media bias either in favor or in the critique of political phenomena. The rivalry between these two networks escalated when Donald Trump announced his candidacy for president in 2016. Fox News was criticized by CNN for presenting news that spoke positively of Trump and the Republican Party. However, an increase in viewers with different ideological standpoints led to an increase in polarization in the political media realm as CNN was perceived as non-partisan in contrast to Fox News that was considered pro-Trump. Donald Trump previously accused CNN of reporting ”fake news” (Trump 2016). Trump claimed that the network reported false information that is biased to manipulate the public and tarnish his image. This prompted his refusal to appear on the network for an interview in 2016. Fox News, on the other hand, was praised by Trump especially during his first term as president. President Trump candidly spoke about his enthusiasm for Fox News and its news content.

A survey conducted by Public Policy Polling indicated that CNN appeared to be least trusted with only 39% of the respondents trusting them. In contrast, Fox News was trusted by more than 50% of the respondents (Public Policy Polling 2014). Despite the low trust figures CNN revisited, it did not affect CNN’s numbers in terms of viewership. 2016 was the network's most successful year since its establishment with a rise in both primetime (70%) and daytime (50%) audiences. Leading up to the 2016 elections, more than 19% of electorates named Fox News their news reference while CNN was at 8%

16 (Pew Research 2017). CNN let go of anchors who appeared to be pro-trump. Instead, the network sought after commentators that are ”willing to repeat, amplify and explain the racist, insulting, inflammatory and conspiratorial things the president said daily” (Shafer 2019). Furthermore, the perception of Fox News being biased and pro-Trump heightened when the network progressively let go of commentators who questioned and challenged Trump’s policies in 2017. President Trump's statements and policies increased the political gap and rivalry between the networks. It intensified negative comments from the networks about the other parties' coverage of the president (Washington Post). This was a clear indication of how intensively polarized the two networks have become.

17 5 Methodology

Above, I have presented the theoretical framework and previous research of this thesis. Below, I present the methodological approach used in the study. This method procedure will be specified as well as the approach used to select the study’s data material, the operational process, and how the analysis was conducted.

5.1 Design & Method To examine the research question, a descriptive analysis is adopted. In this form of qualitative analysis, the researcher must measure and enhance knowledge about a case study without accrediting data on the phenomena to oneself (Boreus & Bergström 2009, p. 55). Thus the analysis method is used to enhance information concerning the study’s material and increase its reliability. Reliability concerns the consistency of how a research method measures something. To advance the reliability and validity of a study, research must be on the same issue to detect whether the results or outcome will be the same. This method was chosen because the results would more or less be the same if another researcher used this method. This method was selected because this research aims to observe CNN and Fox News’ presentation of the Trump coronavirus response. Thus this analysis method can explain CNN and Fox News's presentation of Trump’s actions. These networks were chosen because they are considered opposites by the media and have been pitted against each other over the years. Upon deciding the case study, the decision was made to focus on the month of March 2020 because it is the month when the WHO declared the novel coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. Then I decided to analyze March 11th to March 31st, 2020. The data in this study heavily relies on news articles from both networks that were written on the day Trump’s strategies were presented. Previous research regarding the media in the US along with theories of how the media should function in a democracy will serve as the basis for this study. It is important to note that a margin of error is anticipated due to the material being manually selected. The results of the analysis could be used to detect how the findings of a new and important case correspond with the previous research in this study.

5.2 Descriptive analysis as a Method According to Boreus and Bergström (2005, p.55), qualitative analysis methods are designed to examine various characteristics of different phenomena. Regarding this study, we analyze articles from CNN and Fox News to assess how they present Trump’s coronavirus response in March. The decision to utilize a descriptive analysis as a methodological approach to examine the articles that comprise the network's presentation of Trump's Covid-19 management within the US was made. A descriptive analysis is applicable because it encompasses generating data that characterize different phenomena and thereafter organizes observational and transparent summaries of the informational contents of the data material in a

18 coherent manner (Lambert 2012, Glass & Hopkins, 1984). However, Lambert argues that the organization of data is entirely dependent on the research conductor and how data was selected. As reported by Lambert (2012, p.2), descriptive analysis is characterized as an approach that is “simultaneous data collection and analysis”.

When using this methodological approach, researchers can sufficiently attain existing data regarding different phenomena and conduct an analysis based on actual documents that could encompass the happenings of phenomena, I.e the subjects (Lambert 2012, p.2). Concerning this study, I will be examining articles from both networks that comprise the networks present Trump Covid-19 management in March. Therefore using a descriptive analysis approach is suitable to use to analyze the data material to answer the research question. The chosen method will form the basis for interpretation and analysis with descriptive elements because I intend to describe how the networks present Trump in March. However, I am aware that since the study mainly focuses on the articles from the networks, the method can be questioned.

5.3 Operationalization According to the authors, Bergström & Boréus (2009, p.156-157), descriptive analysis observes, measures, and enhances crucial characteristics of a phenomenon. This methodological approach is best suited for this study as I intend to examine CNN and Fox News’ presentation of Trump in March. This research method can explain how the network describes Trump’s efforts and why certain statements were made. Esaiasson et al (2012, p. 62) write that operationalization is the empirical process whereby the researcher identifies the specific research procedures that will be used to gather data that concerns our concepts. This is because the operational process is a systematic procedure of operational indicators that assesses how the factuality of the study’s phenomena corresponds with the theoretical framework (Esaiasson et al 2012, p.62). The authors affirm that operationalization embodies a systematic procedure of practical indicators that evaluates the interrelationship between the phenomena and the theoretical aspect (Esaiasson et al 2012, p.56). Therefore the indicators describe a study’s problematization to evaluate conceptualizations.

Based on the authors' statements concerning operationalization, in an attempt to describe how the networks’ presentation of Trump in March can be measured, this paper will use theoretical perspectives regarding the media’s role in a democracy to explain and discuss the network's presentation of Trump. Thus theories of the media’s role will serve as indicators in this study. Therefore a descriptive qualitative analysis examines news presentations by the networks to detect incentives for their presentations. This entails that I will analyze the articles presented by CNN and Fox News in March along with theories about media presentations in a democracy and polarization to examine how the articles present the news. The indicator in this study is the media presentation in a democracy and polarization in society, 19 considering it will illustrate the validity in the empirical material that is based on theoretical concepts and thus must be translated into operational indicators to enhance the study’s validity (Esaiasson et al 2012, p.59). This is because there are several requirements for the media in the study’s theories when presenting news, this indicator is used to shed light on how CNN and Fox News presented Trump in March. The theories used in this study argue that the various requirements for the media are: objectivity, transparency, and providing political analysis to the public. The theoretical definitions of the media’s role in democracy will play an important role in the later chapter of this dissertation where the concepts will be utilized to analyze the empirical data, discuss the findings of this study, and the conclusion of this essay. This will avoid validity problems in this essay. Validity measures the consistency between the theoretical definition and the operational definition. For instance, it measures whether the problem is congruent with the material collection method, and the interpretation (Esiason 2012, p. 63). Esaiasson et al. (2012, p.57) mention that validity is defined as “you measure what you claim to one measure”. As a researcher, I must examine the study's purpose in mind from the beginning, i.e. from the choice of research design to discussion of results.

This creates the conditions for a high validity in an investigation and thus avoids systematic errors (Esaiasson et al. 2012: 57). Based on this argument, I have focused on the purpose of this study when collecting data, executing the analysis, and discussing the results. To avoid systematic measurement errors, it is crucial to highlight measurement indicators, which create the conditions for a successful measurement (Esaisson et al 2012, p 63). This means having a transparent link between the operational definition (which clarifies how the phenomenon should be measured) and the theoretical definition (which clarifies the phenomenon to be measured). Concerning this study, the validity can be considered significant because my research question aims to measure how President Trump's crisis management is described in the American Media (specifically CNN and Fox News).

Using a descriptive analysis approach is adopted to enhance our knowledge regarding the empirical material and add reliability. To strengthen the reliability of a study, it is imperative that when another researcher examines the same problem using the same method the results should more or less be the same (Esaiasson et al. 2012, p. 63-64). Previous research that examines polarization in the American media that concluded that the media influences citizens in a democracy are used to add transparency to the study. Therefore, conducting a descriptive study examines how certain political phenomena are presented to enhance understanding of vital indications in the research material. Consequently, this paper will analyze articles concerning President Trumps' Covid-19 management to investigate how the articles describe and present his management efforts in March 2020. This approach will characterize how this political phenomenon in its natural state connects the fundamental characteristics of different declarations from the networks. Considering that the research question in the study aims to describe how

20 the networks present Trump’s coronavirus response in March, this operational method is deemed most appropriate.

5.4 Choice of Material This study began to be operationalized by making a list of different media networks that presented articles about Trump’s coronavirus management. The news networks that were listed are Fox News, NBC, MSNBC, and CNN. Thereupon, over 100 articles headlines were read to comprehend how the networks presented his management efforts. Then the decision to analyze CNN and Fox News was made as they are considered rivals that oppositely report the news. Therefore, their reliability has been challenged over the last decade. Thereupon, articles from CNN and Fox News that were written during the chosen period were read to make a selection. In the articles, words that deal with Trump, the coronavirus, and his management strategies were sought after in the article headlines because it catches the reader’s sight most during a crisis. A few dates in March were omitted because this research focuses on articles that concern the same issue regarding the President’s statements or actions in regards to the pandemic. The dates that were omitted were March 17th, March 20th, March 24th, March 26th and March 28th 2020. Nonetheless, it is acknowledged the study could be conducted for a longer period. For instance, one could perhaps research the beginning coronavirus crisis beginning to the 2020 elections. In this case, the story would lose its breadth. However, coronavirus cases are still emerging and media presentation in the US may shift towards either a negative or positive presentation of Trump. Which could alter the process in which the news media presents Trump’s coronavirus management. The study’s material will be listed in an appendix.

5.5 Delimitation The study is limited to examining CNN and Fox News’ presentation of Trump and not any other news network during the current pandemic. It is admittedly America's first time dealing with the pandemic as it is a new virus, yet I consider it adequate to comprehend the network's presentations. Furthermore, the study will be limited to the period of March 11th, 2020 – March 31st, 2020.

21 6 Empirical Analysis

The following analysis consists of articles that describe CNN and Fox News Channel’s presentation of Trump during the coronavirus crisis. Quotes from the articles will be used as well to highlight the networks descriptive of Trump. To begin with, the news networks assert the following regarding Trump from March 11th, 2020 – March 31st, 2020 (Appendix A & B in Chaper 8):

11th March 2020 Pandemic: The world health Organization says covid is a pandemic “In January, the WHO declared the novel coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. CNN announced on Monday that it is using the term pandemic to describe the current coronavirus outbreak.” (CNN, 2020) “There are 118,000 cases, more than 4,000 deaths, the agency said, and the virus has found a foothold on every continent except for Antarctica.” (CNN, 2020)

Who declares coronavirus global pandemic “The World Health Organization has declared the novel coronavirus outbreak a global "pandemic." “All countries can still change the course of this pandemic," Tedros said. "If countries detect, test, treat, isolate, trace and mobilize their people in the response." (Fox News, 2020)

Both news networks agreed and reported the Covid-19 as a pandemic as declared by the WHO. Acknowledging the quick spread of the virus urging countries around the world to adopt policies and measures that would reduce and minimize the spread of the virus. Fox News went on to state that if the virus was not contained it could affect the socio-economic, unemployment, and health perspective. Unlike Fox News, CNN focused on the reported cases and the alarmingly high number of death cases.

March 12th 2020 Trump address sparks chaos as coronavirus crisis deepens “President Donald Trump set out to steady a rattled nation and a diving economy in a solemn Oval Office address, but instead sowed more confusion and doubts that he is up to handling the fast- worsening coronavirus crisis.” (CNN, 2020) “Trump's big announcement for keeping the virus at bay -- what he said was a 30-day ban on travel to the US by Europeans and restrictions on cargo -- was immediately engulfed in confusion.” “The confusion was symptomatic of an administration that has often struggled to frame detailed policies and present them coherently. “The President did not mention, for example, the shortage of testing kits, which means officials cannot even get a strong read on how far the disease has spread across the nation.” (CNN, 2020) 22

Trump, in Oval Office address, announces travel ban from Europe amid coronavirus fears: 'Put politics aside' “Trump announces travel ban from Europe amid growing fears of coronavirus” “President Trump on Wednesday announced in a televised address that the U.S. was suspending all travel from Europe to the U.S. for 30 days beginning Friday at midnight in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus.” (Fox News, 2020)

Both networks reported Trump’s travel ban implementation in an attempt to minimize surging cases of the virus. Fox news’ approach presented the government’s reasoning for the measures while implying that it would indeed minimize the virus. In contrast to Fox News, CNN focused on the President’s mishandling of the crisis. Suggesting that there is a lack of transparency and adequacy in his leadership as there is no clarity in terms of his plans apart from the travel ban. This is due to the network’s implication that the President has not addressed or highlighted the main issue, which according to them is the shortage of medical supplies for the public. This increases chaos within the nation because statistical data regarding corona cases will not be accessed if there is not enough equipment.

13th March 2020 Trump declares national emergency -- and denies responsibility for coronavirus testing failures “President Donald Trump said Friday he was declaring a national emergency -- "two very big words" -- to free up $50 billion in federal resources to combat coronavirus even as he refused to take personal responsibility for administration failures early in the outbreak.” (CNN, 2020) “As he sought to project an air of competence, Trump denied there were missteps that some health experts say have aggravated the crisis.” "I don't take responsibility at all," he said, insisting problems that led to slow test-kit distribution were the fault of previous administrations”. (CNN, 2020)

Trump declares national emergency over coronavirus, enlists private sector “President Trump on Friday declared a national emergency over the coronavirus outbreak amid extensive disruptions to the economy and American life, announcing partnerships with major U.S. companies to expand testing capabilities while saying he believes the crisis "will pass.” “Speaking to reporters, the president also said his administration is working to "dramatically increase the availability of tests," amid concerns over the availability of tests for coronavirus, or Covid-19, across the country.” (Fox News, 2020)

Both networks agreed and reported Trump’s national emergency declaration. Recognizing that the virus has had a tremendous effect on the socio-economic life in America. Fox News aimed attention and

23 reported on Trump’s reasoning behind the declaration and his plans to work with organizations in facilitating medical supplies. As this would enhance the nation’s ability to manage the crisis. Unlike Fox News, CNN holds the president responsible for the state of the nation affirming that the crisis deepened due to Trump’s lack of leadership. The network criticizes the president that the crisis may not have worsened had he listened to health experts. Implying that his early responses and inconsistencies in tackling the virus led to current socio-economic damages. The network insinuates that President Trump’s disapproval of the Democrats' coronavirus bill was amiss because it could aid millions of the population in the crisis.

14th March 2020 Trump tests negative for coronavirus, White House says “President Donald Trump said Friday he was declaring a national emergency -- "two very big words" - - to free up $50 billion in federal resources to combat coronavirus even as he refused to take personal responsibility for administration failures early in the outbreak.” (CNN, 2020) “I also took the test last night. And I decided I should based on the press conference yesterday. People were asking, did I take the test?" Trump said, referring to his press conference Friday in which he declared a national emergency to free up $50 billion in federal resources to combat coronavirus.” “Trump's decision to take the test comes after he said he was not concerned about coming into close contact with a Brazilian official who tested positive this week for the coronavirus.” (CNN, 2020)

Trump tests negative for coronavirus, White House physician says "I also took the test," Trump said in the White House briefing room. "I decided I should based on the press conference yesterday. People were asking that I take the test." (Fox News, 2020) “Trump has been in contact with individuals who have later tested positive with Covid-19, sparking questions on whether the president should be hand-shaking, quarantined and tested.” (Fox News, 2020)

The networks reported on Trump’s negative test of the coronavirus. Fox News focuses on President Trump’s negative test for coronavirus after being in the presence of people who tested positive. CNN, per contra, implied that Trump’s actions and statements contradict each other. This is due to him previously stating that he would not take a coronavirus test as he was not worried that he had contracted it. Yet he stated a few days later stating that he only took the test because reporters kept asking about it. These statements, according to the network, caused a bit of confusion. The network contends that the President has not taken accountability for the virus spreading rapidly in the US.

15th March 2020 Fact check: Trump falsely claims US has 'tremendous control' of the coronavirus

24 “President Donald Trump made yet another false claim to minimize the severity of the coronavirus crisis, claiming Sunday that the virus is under "control."” “Trump's claim at a White House briefing -- "It's a very contagious virus. It's incredible. But it's something we have tremendous control of" -- was sharply at odds with the assessment of public health experts, including one who appeared with him at the same briefing.” “Trump has repeatedly claimed, falsely, to have the virus under control." (CNN, 2020)

Coronavirus brings life in US to a halt as Trump urges calm, federal and local officials try to stop spread “Coronavirus brings life in the US to a grinding halt as federal, local governments work to stop spread” “It was the week that changed everything. Federal, state and local governments, in the past 72 hours, have taken unprecedented steps to try and slow the coronavirus’ spread, and bolster small businesses, first-responders and hospitals that prepare for an influx of patients exhibiting serious symptoms.” (Fox News, 2020)

Fox News presents the government's management's efforts in calming the public about the increasing issues related to the crisis. The network further explains the President’s plans in combating the virus along with local officials. CNN, on the other hand, focused on President Trump’s statements in addressing the nation. The network criticizes Trump’s claims arguing that they contradict the reality of the health crisis in the nation. Rather the network's arguments surged due to Trump’s lack of listening to the health experts as he was spreading incorrect information to the public. Causing the reported cases to extensively increase.

16th March 2020 Trump claims coronavirus is under control -- contradicting reality and his own top expert “America's top infectious diseases expert is warning that hundreds of thousands of Americans could die unless every citizen joins an effort to blunt the coronavirus pandemic -- only to be contradicted by President Donald Trump, who insists the virus is under "tremendous" control.” (CNN, 2020) “"If we go about our daily lives and not worry about everything," the death toll could be high, Fauci said. Fauci also said he had not ruled out calling for a national lockdown in order to stem the spread of the virus.” (CNN, 2020)

Trump, asked about coronavirus response, gives himself a 10 out of 10 “President Trump on Monday gave his administration high marks for its response to the coronavirus despite criticisms for a shortage of testing kits and for his downplaying the severity of the pandemic.” “Trump's remarks come as he and Democrats clash over his handling of the virus. Many have raised concerns with Trump's claims that anyone who wants a coronavirus test can do so, despite a shortage of

25 testing kits.” “On Monday, Trump issued guidelines for Americans to follow to prevent further spread of the virus.” (Fox News, 2020)

The networks reported on Trump’s opinion regarding the state of the virus. Acknowledging that the daily infections were rapidly surging. Fox News went on to present Trump’s perception of his management of the pandemic. The network reports that President Trump insisted his response was indeed great despite criticism from democrats about the lack of medical supplies. The network implies that the President believes that his administration has taken all the measures necessary to minimize the virus. Thus presented the guidelines for the public. Unlike Fox News, CNN focused on reported cases and the surging number of death rates to further imply that Trump is not acknowledging the severity of the situation. The network highlights the importance of transparency suggesting that Trump has not presented correct data concerning the state of the nation. CNN further highlights inconsistencies in the President’s statements regarding medical equipment as well his contradicting statements as they do not echo that of his health expert. Arguing that the health experts' statements indicate that the situation was much more serious than Trump let on. CNN raises the spread of the virus as the main concern, which could be managed if the President acknowledges the threat it posed to the nation.

18th March 2020 Trump's malicious use of 'Chinese virus': “When Donald Trump wants to rally his base and distract from his many screw-ups, he falls back on one thing: xenophobic racism.” (CNN, 2020) “Trump himself sent out a tweet Monday calling Covid-19 "the Chinese virus," “It's an intentional bit of provocation and racism that evokes the turn-of-the-century "yellow peril," when Americans and Europeans fear-mongered about allegedly dangerous East Asians." (CNN, 2020)

Trump unapologetically uses phrase ‘Chinese Virus’ as clash escalates with China over its origins “The war of words between the Trump administration and China over the origin of coronavirus has escalated as President Trump is going out of his way to call it the "Chinese Virus" and China has embarked on a propaganda campaign to shift blame for the pandemic away from the Chinese Communist Party's handling of the crisis.” (Fox News, 2020) “Trump also addressed the topic Wednesday: "As you know China tried to say at one point, maybe they stopped now, that it was caused by American soldiers. That can't happen. it's not gonna happen. Not as long as I'm president. It comes from China." (Fox News, 2020)

Both networks reported Trump’s use of the term ‘Chinese Virus’ and the controversy it caused both nationally and internally. Fox News aimed attention at explaining the reasoning behind his use of the

26 term. The network affirms that Trump’s attempt to highlight the origin of the virus and dispel the Chinese government’s effort to blameshift and blame Americans. CNN focused on the effect of Trump’s “racist” remarks. The network implies that the President’s use of the term is to responsibility for his role in the surging cases, therefore referring to the virus in a xenophobic, racist, and intolerable context in an attempt to blame China over the virus. CNN further argues that Trump is responsible for the virus spreading rapidly in the US due to him ignoring warnings from health experts. Thus, CNN states that the safety of the nation has relied on the President's actions and responses to the virus and not China.

19th March 2020 Trump, finally, takes the coronavirus emergency seriously “He dispensed unimpeachable information based on fact. He called for national unity and seemed like he meant to help forge it. And he ditched his normal habit of hyping the best possible outcome to a situation with improbable superlatives -- instead communicating the gravity of a fast-worsening crisis.” (CNN, 2020) “The President's pivot to seriousness contrasted sharply with some of his previous commentary on the pandemic, which he has compared to the flu and predicted could just go away, and came after he claimed he had "shut it down" and had the disease under control.” “He came across as a the leader of a nation in crisis, calling on its citizens to unite in an outpouring of collective action that might temporarily paper over deep national political divides.” (CNN, 2020)

Jesse Watters: Trump uses 'Chinese virus' phrase to 'make sure that there is a little bit of accountability' "The Five" hosts praised President Trump on Thursday after he sought to refocus blame on China for its failure to contain the coronavirus before it morphed into a global pandemic -- pushing back on propaganda efforts by the Communist Chinese government to blame the U.S. "If we don't hold China accountable for this now, you know it's going to happen again -- and it could be worse next time," co-host Dana Perino said. (Fox News, 2020) "So," he concluded, "when they say the U.S. military were the ones that planted the virus in Wuhan and we are going to withhold drugs from the United States during the pandemic, that's just crazy and the fact that the president calls it the Chinese virus, he just wants to make sure that there is a little bit of accountability and truth to what happened." (Fox News, 2020)

Fox News reports in defense of Trump’s use of the “Chinese Virus” stating that it is just because the virus originated from China. Therefore arguing that the virus affecting the world is a result of it originating from China. The network implies that Trump’s use of the term could shed light on China’s role rather than him or American soldiers being blamed for the virus. Whereas CNN agreed with Trump’s claims that stressed the importance of the nation unifiably working together to combat the

27 spread of the virus. The network implies that his enlistment of the nation and work to work together could decrease the infection rate significantly. CNN further highlights President Trump’s change of perception regarding the severity of the virus, as he previously downplayed its effects. The network thus suggests that President Trump’s new perception could defuse political polarization within the nation while stating that the President has a lot to prove to be viewed as an adequate leader.

21st March 2020 Trump on China: 'I wish they'd told us earlier' about coronavirus: “President Donald Trump said Saturday that he wished China would have told him earlier about the novel coronavirus, despite previously praising the country's transparency on the issue.” (CNN, 2020) “On January 24, Trump praised China and President Xi Jinping for the country's "efforts and transparency" in dealing with the coronavirus. That praise came nearly a month after the country informed the World Health Organization about the virus.” (CNN, 2020)

Trump defends action in early days of coronavirus crisis, blames China for being 'secretive': “President Trump on Saturday defended his administration’s actions in the early days of the coronavirus crisis, saying he was ahead of the curve in calling for a travel ban from China -- whom he attacked for their “secretive” approach when the virus emerged.” (Fox News, 2020) “As he has done before, Trump pointed to action he took in the early days of the crisis, namely his decision in early February to slap a travel ban on foreign nationals from China. He later imposed travel restrictions on Iran and Europe. This week, the U.S. agreed with Mexico and Canada to restrict non- essential travel at their borders, too.” (Fox News, 2020)

Both networks reported the President’s allegations against China regarding the timeframe of the virus. Fox News gives reason for the President’s statements that the virus spreading around the world is a result of the Chinese government’s being uncommunicative initially. Unlike Fox News, CNN implies that Trump’s statements contradict reality because the WHO raised concerns about the virus during the early stages of the pandemic. The WHO urged governments around the world to implement policies to tackle the virus (WHO 2020).

22nd March 2020 Trump made 33 false claims about the coronavirus crisis in the first two weeks of March “President Donald Trump began March with a barrage of false claims about the coronavirus pandemic -- understating the extent of the crisis, overstating the availability of tests, inacgcurately blaming his predecessor and wrongly insisting that the crisis was unforeseen” (CNN, 2020)

28 “Trump is now averaging about 57 false claims per week since we started counting at CNN on July 8, 2019. From that date through March 15, he has made 2,062 false claims in all.” (CNN, 2020)

Trump, at White House briefing, outlines broad measures to combat coronavirus in hardest-hit states “The president rattled off a list of supplies that crew already have sent to the states – including medical masks – and promised that more would be on the way soon. Trump also revealed for the first time the number of respirators and other personal protective equipment sent to the hard-hit states by the federal government.” (Fox News, 2020) “As of Sunday evening, New York was the hardest-hit state in the nation by the coronavirus with more than 15,000 confirmed cases and 117 deaths. Washington state, the first to have to deal with the outbreak on a widespread basis, had over 1,700 confirmed cases, while Caifornia’s fast-growing outbreak saw more than 1,600, according to the Center for Systems” (Fox News, 2020)

The media networks reported on Trump’s statements in an attempt to handle the crisis. Fox News focused on Trump’s plans to manage the crisis in the most affected states. The network gives reason for the President’s intention by reiterating his opinions on increasing medical supplies to manage the health crisis. Contrarily, CNN focused on Trump’s pursuit to not take account of the crisis within the nation by blaming other nations. The network criticizes Trump’s denial of reality and the severity of the health crisis in America, arguing that it contradicts health experts' statements and thus highlights irresponsibility on his part. As he is giving out incorrect declarations to the public which could have severe socio-economic consequences.

23rd March 2020 Trump uses daily coronavirus briefings to replace campaign rallies “President Donald Trump complained that he is treated unfairly. He touted his tax cuts. He told his usual lie about how he is the one who got the Obama-era Veterans Choice program passed into law. ” (CNN, 2020) “The coronavirus crisis has prevented Trump from holding his signature campaign rallies. So he has turned his daily White House coronavirus briefings, like the one on Sunday, into a kind of special spinoff of the familiar Trump Show -- replete with all the usual misinformation, self-promotion and potshots.” (CNN, 2020)

Fox News hosting virtual coronavirus town hall with President Trump, White House task force “The president and his team will be answering text and video questions you submit to Fox News' Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts.” (Fox News, 2020)

29 “They will explain how the White House is handling the growing crisis before President Trump joins the forum at roughly 12:30 p.m. ET to answer questions from Fox News viewers across the country.” (Fox News, 2020).

Fox News announced it’s Town Hall with President Trump in an attempt to inform the American public on the federal government's coronavirus strategies through open dialogue with the public. The network contends that the American media had presented differing reports concerning the federal government's management of the pandemic. Which served as a basis for this meeting between Fox News and Trump to create an open environment where the public can have their concerns answered regarding the pandemic and the President’s management of it. CNN, however, focused on stresses President Trump’s briefings as a platform where he discloses his political agenda. The network that his briefings are a way for him to fulfill his pursuit of fulfilling a political agenda in the wake of the crisis by not stating correct information. The network implies that the briefings for the virus, according to CNN, were used as a tool to focus on him and his agenda to campaign for himself.

25th March 2020 Trump's hope for an Easter reopening clashes with coronavirus reality “President Donald Trump's predictions that victory is close in the coronavirus crisis are becoming increasingly impossible to square with the harrowing escalation of America's battle against the pandemic.” (CNN, 2020) “The gap between the President's perception of the situation and reality risks squandering the credibility that leaders need in a time of crisis, when inspiring hope must be balanced with a realistic assessment of the challenge ahead.” (CNN, 2020)

Trump throws support behind stimulus bill in Senate, as Fauci warns of other coronavirus 'cycles' “President Trump signaled his support for the massive stimulus bill being ironed out in the Senate and called on Congress to immediately pass it and send it to him for his signature, as a prominent member of the president's taskforce warned Americans to prepare for the possibility of other coronavirus "cycles" in the future.” (Fox News, 2020) “The back-and-forth comes a day after Trump said during a Fox News town hall that he believes the country can open back up by the Easter holiday. He has since slightly walked back the comment, saying now that the White House will reevaluate in April and that parts of the country less affected by the pandemic could be open sooner.” (Fox News, 2020)

The media networks reporting on President Trump’s intention to open the country by easter are different from the reality. Recognizing the increasing infection rates within the nation could halt his plan. Fox

30 News focused on highlighting the miscommunication between Trump and his health expert. Fox News affirms Fauci was aiming attention at bracing the public for the upcoming effects of the virus whereas Trump was aiming to reopen the country. The network highlights that Trump’s motivation to reopen the country was in an attempt to stabilize the financial crisis in the country. The network presents the President's reasoning and then retracts them. Which may seem contradictory. CNN questions the president’s leadership arguing that although the economy is in catastrophic condition, re-opening the nation could increase surging infection rates in the country. The underlying factor concerning these statements is the institution that Trump’s initiation of the re-opening is to fulfill his political agenda. The network implies that Trump is ignoring rising statistical data on coronavirus cases due to his pursuit of a good reputation. The network further highlights that Trump’s idea could be supported by people because the economy affects Americans' daily lives in terms of providing for themselves and their families.

27th March 2020 Trump signs historic $2 trillion stimulus after Congress passes it Friday “President Donald Trump signed into law Friday afternoon a historic $2 trillion stimulus package as the American public and the US economy fight the devastating spread of Covid-19.” (CNN, 2020) “Key elements of the package include sending checks directly to individuals and families, a major expansion of unemployment benefits, money for hard-hit hospitals and health care providers, financial assistance for small businesses and $500 billion in loans for distressed companies.(CNN, 2020)

Trump signs $2T stimulus bill after House approves historic coronavirus response “President Trump on Friday signed a more than $2 trillion legislative package to combat the coronavirus pandemic and send economic relief to workers and businesses squeezed by restrictions meant to stop the outbreak’s spread after the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the legislation earlier in the day.” (Fox News, 2020) “Trump marveled at the magnitude of the aid package as he penned his name on the legislation: "I've never signed anything with a 'T' on it," Trump quipped of the trillions of dollars of new spending.” (Fox News, 2020)

Fox News and CNN reported and focused on President Trump signing the historic stimulus package to offer aid in America to deal with the socio-economic issues caused by the pandemic. The network implies that this aid could financially help families and businesses affected by the crisis. CNN argues that it is perceived to ensure that the nation bounces back from the crisis. As this could guarantee stability within the nation.

29th March 2020

31 Trump concedes US coronavirus death toll could be 100,000 or more “President Donald Trump acknowledged Sunday for the first time that deaths in the United States from coronavirus could reach 100,000 or more, adding that if the death toll stays at or below 100,000, "we all together have done a very good job." (CNN, 2020) “During his news conference, Trump said he received what he called the "most accurate" or "most comprehensive" study today about the potential death toll from Covid-19.” “Fauci told CNN earlier Sunday that the US could see millions of cases of coronavirus in the US.” (CNN, 2020)

Trump says coronavirus 'peak in death rate' likely in 2 weeks, extends social-distancing guidelines through April 30 “Speaking at a contentious White House coronavirus news briefing on Sunday that involved testy standoffs with multiple reporters, President Trump declared that "the peak in death rate" in the coronavirus pandemic "is likely to hit in two weeks," and said the federal government will be extending its social-distancing guidelines through April 30.” (Fox News, 2020) “Separately, Trump openly questioned why the demand for surgical masks has skyrocketed in New York City and elsewhere, urging assembled reporters that they "oughtta look into it" because "something's going on." (Fox News, 2020)

The two networks reported and concurred on Trump’s acknowledgment that the death toll in America could surpass 100000. Agreeing that it is an alarming number and a severe state for the country. While Fox News highlighted the President’s perception of the consequence of the extended Covid-19 guidelines on the economic and mental health of the nation. Additionally, the network points out the President’s implications regarding New York’s increasing demand for medical supplies. Stating that their demands could be questioned as it is abnormal. CNN insinuates that in his effort to warn the public about the likelihood of surging death rates, Trump did not give a detailed answer in regards to the numbers. This can be related to Dr. Fauci predicting the potential number of deaths and cases. Because the implication is that Trump is not transparent in offering the public clear information concerning the potential number of cases.

31st March 2020 Trump warns of 'painful' two weeks ahead as White House projects more than 100,000 coronavirus deaths “President Donald Trump warned of a "painful" and "tough" two-week stretch ahead as he extended nationwide distancing measures that -- even if followed closely -- could still mean more than 100,000 and up to 240,000 Americans die from coronavirus.” (CNN, 2020)

32 “It was a stark message from a President who spent weeks downplaying the severity of the virus and questioned its potential impact in the United States.” (CNN, 2020)

White House projects 100K to 240K coronavirus deaths as Trump tells US to prepare for ‘very painful two weeks’ “It is absolutely critical for the American people to follow the guidelines,” Trump said during the briefing. “It’s a matter of life and death.” (Fox News, 2020) “While Trump sought to reassure Americans that the country would ultimately get through the pandemic, he declined to sugarcoat the severity of the pandemic and said that the battle against the contagion will be worse in the upcoming weeks.”(Fox News, 2020)

The networks reported on the federal government’s statements regarding the upcoming weeks in April. Both CNN and Fox News agreed that this would help the nation take heed and be careful with the guidelines they’re required to take. Fox News indicated the president’s aim in warning the nation was for them to adhere to the Covid-19 guidelines with great caution as the cases are surging significantly. Although the main incentive was to express to the public to be more careful, the network puts the focus that the President's plans to re-open the nation on April 12th will be cancelled. Whereas CNN highlights that President Trump’s urge to warn the nation to take heed to the coronavirus guidelines come after previously not taking the coronavirus seriously. The network presents inconsistencies in the President’s previous statement and his current change. Insinuating that his lack of leadership in the beginning of the pandemic played a role in the surge of the infection rate. CNN quotes the President’s alarming statements regarding the upcoming future of the nation as regards the pandemic stating the following: "I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead. We're going to go through a very tough two weeks," Trump said, setting expectations for a dire fortnight where death rates spike.”

33 7 Results & Conclusions

This chapter aims to answer the research question using the theoretical perspectives regarding the media’s role in a democracy.

7.1 Results and Discussion

• How has CNN and Fox News presented President Trump’s coronavirus crisis management in the month of March? The analysis conducted above indicate that both CNN and Fox News are privately owned media networks, they are not owned by the government. This entails, just as a state-owned media network, they have the ability to report freely as long as it's not infringing on someone’s right. The news report is not controlled by the government. It is believed that through “privatization, independence is created and a good reportage can be conducted” (Imanyara 1992). There is no doubt that both CNN and Fox news are popular networks with viewers not only in the States but from across the world. However, over the years the question of polarization in these networks has come to light. This is due to the media contending that they tend to report partisan news. From the articles analyzed above, it is obvious that the American media networks, specifically CNN & Fox News that are the subjects of this research, are heavily polarized in their news presentations. This was visible in the articles published between March 11 - March 31st, 2020 with regards to Trump’s Covid-19 management. Upon conducting the descriptive analysis, the study draws objective assessments based on the articles presented above. Initially, it is reported that the outbreak of the virus occurred during the month of December. During its outbreak, the public was not aware of the brutality of the so-called flu that had swept across the world bringing it to its knees. However, on March 11th both networks, CNN and Fox News reported WHO’s declaration of the coronavirus as a pandemic. CNN went further to explain to the public the number of Covid-19 cases and the alarming number of deaths. Contrary to Fox News that was more concerned about the effects the virus would have on the socio-economic sector in the nation. As no one knew the severity of the virus, reports from these networks caught the attention of the public by making them aware that the “flu” is a pandemic, the number of infected cases, and the death rates. As well as the impact it has on society and the economy due to the travel ban announced on March 12th.

This confirms Waldhals argument “the public heavily relies on the media to explain all existing political phenomena”. Even though the networks did present similar news acknowledging the pandemic they differed in their news content. Waldhal’s (2004) assertion that the media’s role is to hold government officials accountable concerning their duties. CNN has held Trump accountable for his actions in terms of handling and managing the crisis. Throughout the chosen period of this research except for the 19th and the 27th of March. CNN has been critical of Trump's leadership skills and this came to the surface on March 12th when CNN began questioning the President's leadership ability due to an address which

34 he made. As it is expected of a leader to calm and assure its citizens that “everything is under control”. Instead, according to CNN, the President did quite the opposite due to his statement that sparked confusion regarding the state of the nation. This was followed by Trump’s lack of support of the “Democrat’s coronavirus bill” which was meant to be of aid to the nation amid the crisis. Fox News, on the other hand, had a different perspective and understanding towards Trump's management of the pandemic. They were more concerned with praising, supporting, and bringing to light the efforts made by the President in attempting to tackle the dire situation. This was evident on the network’s presentation on March 13th supporting the President’s national emergency announcement, in which he intended to increase medical supplies in an attempt to minimize the surging infection rates.

On March 18th Trump once again took to the center stage of attention by terming the virus as “the Chinese virus”. This is due to the belief that the virus originates from China. Even if that’s the case, not only is it very irresponsible as a President to utter such words but extremely racist and degrading towards China. Considering the gravity and implications of the term one would expect the media networks would condemn Trump. However, this was not the situation with Fox News. The network presented Trump’s usage of the term “Chinese Virus” with no implication and rather justified his statement. CNN presented his statement as racist and an attempt to divert attention from the intensifying crisis. And this displays that the degree of polarization is high within the presentation of both networks in comparing the networks' reportage of Trump’s management. If the role of the media is to provide political analysis transparently and objectively, this could be a significant disadvantage in a democracy when the news is not based on objectivity because there could be a huge gap in the citizens' ideologies regarding political issues (Waldhal 2004, p.13).

On March 22nd, Fox News president Trump’s measure plans and measures to manage the crisis in the most affected states. While CNN blames President Trump for the state of the nation due to his baseless statements since the pandemic. Their presentation implies that the President wasn’t taking responsibility for the crisis and thus being in denial. It is evident in their presentation on this day that the networks have included personal ideas in their presentations. However, CNN was critical of Trump's Management in the article. Throughout March CNN has been critical of Trump's leadership skills arguing that he has yet to tackle the pandemic adequately. The network implied that his statement contradicts reality and therefore has mismanaged the crisis. The network further argues that the President’s lack of transparency concerning testing kits makes it difficult to assess the situation in the nation. These criticisms are based on the network’s idea (in this article) that the President’s management of the crisis is not transparent and accurate. The results from analyzing these articles affirm that CNN was more critical of Trump’s management on these dates. The analysis has, with the help of the theories on the media and previous research, indicated that news networks report the same thing but their impressions differ. This result echoes previous research findings that contend that news presentations affect polarization. Previous

35 research results argue that when media networks present news in different manners, audiences tend to news networks whose presentations are aligned with their political ideologies. And this increases polarization regarding political phenomena. Which I consider answering the study's problem. CNN and Fox News aimed to present news to provide explanations regarding this phenomenon. However, their presentations were indeed polarized. This is due to personal opinions being inclined in their presentations. This enhances polarization because their news is impartial. Rather they are based upon impressions and sequels from the media, which could influence the opinions of their audience on political figures (Garber 2008, p. 38). This can be detected in Fox News’ article on March 11th because the article was not related to the number of deaths caused by the virus.

Another characteristic that the analysis detected was Fox News’ relationships with Trump. Imanyara and Curran et al (1992, 2000) highlight the cruciality of private media ownership to ensure that the news is not influenced by the government. The networks' town hall meeting with President Trump highlighted that there was a relationship between the network and the President. As mentioned in chapter 4, CNN and Fox News were founded by two businessmen with contrasting political ideologies. Fox News' owner hired conservative reporters to attract republican audiences, whereas CNN was considered to indicate Democratic ideas. This can be related to Zaller’s (1999, p. 4) argument that media politics motivates different interests and agendas of the media. This could be a detriment to democracy because their audiences will not be presented with objective information regarding Trump’s management of the crisis in March. Trump previously stated that CNN reports “fake news” to make him appear inadequate. However, this study cannot ascertain whether their relationship is the rationale behind Fox News being less critical of Trump.

Furthermore, CNN stated that Trump used the coronavirus briefings for his political agenda, which corresponds Zaller and Curran et al (1999) argument that media politics are generally driven by the key actors' agenda. In the CNN articles on the 13th, 15th, 16th, and 18th of March 2020, the network argues that Trump’s statements contradict reality and are an attempt to alter the nation’s perception of his leadership abilities. Waldhal's (2004) assertion that the media must present information on whether politicians' actions are in line with their obligations as a leader can be linked with CNN’s presentation of Trump as a leader. The network heavily criticized his actions as a leader to hold him accountable for the crisis escalating in the nation. In this case, the news is presented from two different and polarizing perspectives. From Fox news’ perspective, the news was centered around Trump’s reasoning behind certain actions or statements to manage the crisis in March. While from CNN's perspective, the network appears to present the news from a critical standpoint by comparing Trump’s statements and actions to the statistical data in the nation. This entails that, from a political perspective, this phenomenon is presented in polarizing ways from different viewpoints. Fox News is less critical of the President's

36 management of the crisis because their presentations were further explanations of his statements or actions. Whereas CNN criticized Trump's management of the crisis.

7.2 Conclusion Academics such as Matthew Baum, Tim Groeling, Dannagal G Young, Campante, and Hojaman have conducted broad research concerning polarization and the political divide in the American media. One can assume that there specifically hasn't been much research conducted on polarization in news presentations relating to the coronavirus pandemic and President Trump’s management of the crisis with a specific focus on the month of March. Although there is an awareness that political inclinations are presented in the news (Baum & Potters 2018, p.2), research has not been linked to news presentations regarding Trump’s Covid-19 management in March. Hence, why this study’s research question. Previous research (see chapter 2 and 3) has concluded that the polarized news media realm has vastly increased polarization in America. The contrasting presentations have allowed for varying perspectives to be reported to the public. This affects democracy because polarization is connected to differences of political ideologies in an extreme capacity (Baum 2019, p. 6). In a democracy, polarization can cause contrasting public opinions concerning politics to two different extremes especially in two-party majoritarian systems (Baum & Potter 2018, p. 2). Concerning this study’s conclusion, polarized media presentation indicates that CNN and Fox News’ attempt to be objective is challenged by their presentations including personal impressions of Trump’s crisis management in March. There lie inclinations and impressions in news presentations from both parties. Transparency is an important requirement for the media to uphold in their news reportage (Waldhal 2004), therefore media presentations must be impartial and factual in their presentation of different political phenomena. Without transparency, the audiences will not have the correct information to base their votes on. When independents have their agenda, it means that they intend to influence public opinion to support their presentations. In framing political phenomena based on their agenda, the media could influence electorates opinions and agendas.

The results from the analysis indicated that Fox News and CNN were similar to a certain extent yet opposites. Fox News primarily praised, supported, and justified Trump’s action or statements and to a certain extent had a relationship with him. In contrast, CNN has openly criticized and questioned the President's leadership ability, and did not have a positive relationship with Trump. Fox News's unwavering support for Trump remains a question to be unanswered. However, I cannot with certainty state whether it is due to political affiliation or an unknown ulterior motive due to this paper’s incentive. Moreover, the findings from this paper support previous research results mentioned above. This is a current coronavirus to the analysis’ indication that the articles were not solely based on facts and

37 objectivity, rather they contained inclinations and impressions of Trump’s actions and statements. Therefore, political ideologies might play into what networks audiences choose to lean towards.

It is apparent CNN & Fox News aimed to be facilitators for democracy by politically educated citizens on Trump’s management efforts in March. It can be argued that the same phenomena (which is Trump’s efforts in managing the health crisis) have been presented in polarizing ways by the networks based on the networks' political ideology. These ideologies encourage the networks’ justification of Trump's actions in terms of managing the crisis in March. Fox News indicated support and gave reason for the President’s management decision, while CNN criticized him arguing that there were inconsistencies in his statements and actions because they did not reflect the reality in the nation. Moreover, the findings from this paper support previous research results mentioned above that argued that media could fuel polarization concerning political phenomena. This is due to the analysis’s indication that the articles were not solely based on facts and objectivity, rather they contained inclinations and impressions of Trump’s actions and statements. Therefore, political ideologies might play into what networks audiences choose to lean towards. For instance, democrats might lean towards news presentations by CNN whereas a republican might watch Fox News. This is because news presentations contain opinions regarding political phenomena. Politics, in general, can be associated with partisan (Baum et al. 2019), therefore audiences will respond to networks whose reportages are aligned with their own political beliefs. Which could affect decision-making concerning political issues in a democratic system because their decision could be based on the political ideologies of their preferred media networks.

This dissertation aimed to contribute to political science research on understanding how the media presented Trump’s Covid-19 management efforts from the perspective of two different media networks. Which could contribute to a hyper-polarized atmosphere because audiences choose to watch news networks that present the information that strengthens their beliefs. This causes the population to not have both sides of the story before forming an opinion (Baum & Potters 2018). The nation could be divided politically because the citizens will become intensely devoted to defending their preferred political leaders that they won’t consider the other point of view. The descriptive analysis approach allowed this study to objectively examine CNN & Fox News’ descriptions and presentations of Trump's Covid-19 management in the month of March. The results from this paper permitted a brief insight into how personal political beliefs could be used in the presentation of news. Therefore, this study acknowledges the idea that descriptive research intends to discover the nature of a particular problem to enhance our knowledge of a particular problem (Lambert & Lambert 2012, p.2). Based on the findings of this study, one could conduct further research to investigate how both networks present President Biden’s coronavirus management. A comparative study could be conducted to examine whether the network's impressions of Biden’s management strategies will be similar to their presentation of Trump’s.

38 In conclusion, the role of the polarization in the media in regards to this study is that the networks’ presentations of Trump were not merely based on facts because they contain political ideologies from the networks as well. When the news is not based on objectivity alone, there will be a lack of transparency in terms of the government (Waldhal 2004, Imanyara 1999, Zaller 1999). Transparent news presentation will enhance government accountability and strengthen good governance and by extension democracy. This is because the citizen will be able to hold Trump accountable (Waldhal 2004, p.13). Thus the pandemic as a health issue should be presented factually by both CNN and Fox News irrespective of their political agenda and ideologies. The media outlets are expected to factually present Trump’s efforts in managing the crisis (Imanyara 1999, Waldhal 2004). Following their political personal ideology would lead to a more misinformed public, higher coronavirus infection rates, and could lead to instability and thus threaten democracy and national stability. Upon reading this dissertation, citizens could make applicable conclusions based on the findings of this study. Due to limitless access to information in the present day, citizens must be vigilant about the information they consume in order to contribute to greater democracy. Therefore, one could analyze whether the information presented to them by the media is factual to make effective decisions in political issues. This could help audiences become more open-minded and observe political phenomena from different perspectives before making political decisions. In understanding the role of the media in a democracy and the effects of polarization, citizens can be attentive to the information presented and from what context it is being presented to not contribute to a hyper-polarized society by only focusing on biased news presentations. Thus, citizens can form their own opinion regarding political phenomena by watching or reading news from channels that solely present objective news.

39

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46 Appendix A Articles from CNN

Titel Author Date

Pandemic: The world health Organization says Jamie Gumbrecht and 11th covid is a pandemic Jacqueline Howard March 2020

Trump address sparks chaos as coronavirus Stephen Collinson 12th crisis deepens March 2020

Trump declares national emergency -- and Kevin Liptak 13th denies responsibility for coronavirus testing March failures 2020

Trump tests negative for coronavirus, White Jason Hoffman and 14th House says Veronica Stracqualursi March 2020

Fact check: Trump falsely claims US has Daniel Dale 15th 'tremendous control' of the coronavirus March 2020

Trump claims coronavirus is under control -- Stephen Collinson 16th contradicting reality and his own top expert March 2020

Trump's malicious use of 'Chinese virus' Jill Filipovic 18th March 2020

Trump, finally, takes the coronavirus Stephen Collinson 19th emergency seriously March 2020

Trump on China: 'I wish they'd told us earlier' Jason Hoffman and Joe 21st about coronavirus Ruiz March 2020

47 Trump made 33 false claims about the Daniel Dale and Tara 22nd coronavirus crisis in the first two weeks of Subramaniam March March 2020

Trump uses daily coronavirus briefings to Daniel Dale 23rd replace campaign rallies March 2020

Trump's hope for an Easter reopening clashes Stephen Collinson 25th with coronavirus reality March 2020

Trump signs historic $2 trillion stimulus after Clare Foran, Manu Raju, 27th Congress passes it Friday Haley Byrd and Ted Barrett March 2020

Trump concedes US coronavirus death toll Kevin Bohn 29th could be 100,000 or more March 2020

Trump warns of 'painful' two weeks ahead as Kevin Liptak and Kaitlan 31st White House projects more than 100,000 Collins March coronavirus deaths 2020

Appendix B Articles from Fox News

Titel Authors Date

Who declares coronavirus global pandemic Alexandria Hein 11th March 2020

Trump, in Oval Office address, announces travel ban Fox News 12th from Europe amid coronavirus fears: 'Put politics March aside' 2020

Trump declares national emergency over coronavirus, Brooke Singman 13th

48 enlists private sector March 2020

Trump tests negative for coronavirus, White House Marisa Schultz and 14th physician says Melissa Leon March 2020

Coronavirus brings life in US to a halt as Trump urges Fox News 15th calm, federal and local officials try to stop spread March 2020

Trump, asked about coronavirus response, gives Louis Casiano 16th himself a 10 out of 10 March 2020

Trump unapologetically uses phrase ‘Chinese Virus’ Tyler Olson and 18th as clash escalates with China over its origins Barnini Chakraborty March 2020

Jesse Watters: Trump uses 'Chinese virus' phrase to Yael Halon 19th 'make sure that there is a little bit of accountability' March 2020

Trump defends actions in early days of coronavirus Adam Shaw 21st crisis, blames China for being ‘secretive’ March 2020

Trump, at White House briefing, outlines broad Andrew O'Reilly 22nd measures to combat coronavirus in hardest-hit states March 2020

Fox News hosting virtual town hall with President Brian Flood 23rd Trump, White House task force March

2020

Trump throws support behind stimulus bill in Senate, Andrew O'Reilly 25th as Fauci warns of other coronavirus 'cycles' March 2020

Trump signs $2T stimulus bill after House approves Marisa Schultz and 27th

49 historic coronavirus response Chad Pergram March 2020

Trump says coronavirus 'peak in death rate' likely in 2 Gregg Re 29th weeks, extends social-distancing guidelines through March April 30 2020

White House projects 100K to 240K coronavirus Andrew O'Reilly 31st deaths as Trump tells US to prepare for ‘very painful March two weeks’. 2020

50