Tipping the Twitter vs. news media scale? Conducting a third assessment of intermedia agenda-setting effects during the presidential primary Bethany Anne Conway Associate Professor Department of Communication Studies, California Polytechnic State University College of Liberal Arts 1 Grand Ave., #47-31 San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
[email protected] Eric Tsetsi Lecturer Department of Communication Science, University of Amsterdam Nieuwe Achtergracht 166 1018WV Amsterdam, NL
[email protected] Kate Kenski, PhD Professor Department of Communication, University of Arizona College of Social and Behavioral Sciences 1103 E University Blvd. Tucson, AZ 85721
[email protected] Yotam Shmargad Assistant Professor School of Government & Public Policy, University of Arizona College of Social and Behavioral Sciences 1103 E University Blvd. Tucson, AZ 85721
[email protected] 1 On January 8, 2021, Twitter permanently banned President Donald Trump’s social media account two days after an angry mob stormed the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (McClusky & Zennie, 2021). This was not the first time that Twitter had blocked the president. In fact, the company placed factcheck warning labels on President Trump countless times and suspended his use of the platform for 12 hours the previous day (Clayton et al., 2021). While it was Twitter’s legal right to engage in such action, the week’s events leading up to the ban sent a powerful message about his use of the platform—that Twitter provided Trump with power to sway opinions. Furthermore, it is not just public opinion that Trump was able to sway. Research suggests that Twitter use by politicians, including Trump, can influence what traditional media outlets choose to cover (Conway et al., 2015; Conway et al., 2018; Jungherr, 2016; Kenski & Conway, 2016; Sayre et al., 2010; Shapiro & Hemphill, 2016; Stromer-Galley, 2019; Wells et al., 2016).