Donald Trump and the Usurping of the Broadcast Media: how the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election was a victory for ordinariness in retaliation against the political elite By: Kyle Fitzgerald (w1608580) Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment for the MA degree in Communication University of Westminster Copyright (2017) University of Westminster and Kyle Fitzgerald Fitzgerald, Page 2 of 70 Fitzgerald, Page 3 of 70 ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to analyse how the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election signified a referendum against the broadcast media. Throughout the campaign, Donald Trump chastised the broadcast media as Hillary Clinton sycophants. No presidential candidate was discussed more on broadcast media than Trump, which led the author to investigate how he was covered during the election cycle. Democratic theorists argue that the electorate possesses the power to overthrow a government if that government infringes upon the peoples’ rights (Mill, 2009); furthermore, the dominant elite is considered to be the greatest threat to democracy (Bennett, 1996). As Key social influencers within the United States, the broadcast media are capable of using their platform to either heighten or disparage political candidates. The author understands the power of discourse and the power relations with which it is associated; especially amongst social influencers and politicians. This research project will explore and analyse both Trump’s language and broadcast media’s language (namely CNN and MSNBC) during the campaign season. By undergoing content and critical discourse analysis of both Trump’s campaign speeches and broadcast programmes, the researcher hopes to uncover if the broadcast media threatened key values of Trump’s electorate. Fitzgerald, Page 4 of 70 Table of Contents Abstract ..................................................................................................................................................... 3 1.0 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 6 1.1 Background of Research ............................................................................................................ 6 1.2 Significance and Purpose of Study ............................................................................................ 7 1.3 Current Gaps in Research .......................................................................................................... 8 1.4 Questions, Aims, and Hypotheses .............................................................................................. 9 1.5 Methods Employed ................................................................................................................... 10 1.6 Structure of Research Project ................................................................................................... 10 2.0 Theoretical Framework .................................................................................................................... 11 2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 11 2.2 First subtheme: The dominant elite as gatekeepers of news ................................................... 11 2.3 Second subtheme: Distribution of broadcast media hegemony .............................................12 2.4 Third subtheme: Audience activity and voter participation in a democracy ..........................13 2.5 Fourth subtheme: Populism, the American Dream, and a marginalized public .................... 15 2.6 Theoretical Framework, Conclusion ........................................................................................ 19 3.0 Methodology .................................................................................................................................... 20 3.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 20 3.2 Samples and Methods Employed ............................................................................................. 20 3.2.1 Samples Employed .................................................................................................... 20 3.2.2 Methods Employed ....................................................................................................21 3.2.2.1 Analysis of Trump’s Speeches ....................................................................... 22 3.2.2.2 Media Analysis .............................................................................................. 22 3.2.3 Critical Discourse Analysis Framework ................................................................... 23 3.2.4 Coding Structure ....................................................................................................... 23 3.3 Theoretical Framework of Chosen Methodologies.................................................................. 24 3.4 Rationale of Chosen Methodologies ......................................................................................... 26 3.5 Limitations of Chosen Methodologies ..................................................................................... 28 3.6 Methodology, Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 29 4.0 Presentation and Analysis of Findings ........................................................................................... 30 4.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 30 4.2 Donald Trump’s Speech in North Carolina, 9 August 2016.................................................... 30 4.2.1 Social Actors Associated with Anti-Elite ..................................................................31 4.2.2 Trump’s Invocation of Fear ..................................................................................... 33 4.2.3 The American Dream and Hillary Clinton’s Malpractice ...................................... 34 4.2.4 Donald Trump’s Speech: 9 August 2016, Conclusion ............................................. 36 4.3 Media Findings .......................................................................................................................... 37 4.3.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 37 4.3.2 CNN Tonight with Don Lemon, 9 August 2016 – CNN ......................................... 37 4.3.3 Morning Joe, 10 August 2016 – MSNBC ................................................................ 40 4.3.4 Chris Cuomo interview with Rudy Giuliani, 11 August 2016 – CNN Live ............. 42 4.3.5 Summation of Analysed Media Programmes ......................................................... 45 4.4 Donald Trump’s speech in Pennsylvania, 12 August 2016 ..................................................... 47 4.4.1 Incongruities Noticed between Trump’s First and Second Speeches ................... 47 4.4.2 Social Actors Associated with Anti-Elite ................................................................. 48 4.4.3 The Link between Hillary Clinton and the Broadcast Media ................................. 51 4.4.4 Trump and the Paradigm Shift ................................................................................ 53 4.4.5 Donald Trump’s 12 August 2016 Speech, Conclusion ............................................ 54 Fitzgerald, Page 5 of 70 Table of Contents, continued 5.0 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................... 55 5.1 Re-evaluating the Theoretical Framework ............................................................................. 55 5.2 The Jeff Zucker Problem ......................................................................................................... 56 5.3 The Crumbling Trust in Insititutionalised Media and its Repercussions ............................. 57 5.4 Limitations, and Suggestions for Further Research .............................................................. 59 Works Cited ............................................................................................................................................ 60 Books ............................................................................................................................................... 60 Scholarly Journals ........................................................................................................................... 61 Newspapers and Magazines ........................................................................................................... 62 Web Articles .................................................................................................................................... 67 Bibliography ........................................................................................................................................... 67 Appendices Appendix A: Timeline of Events, Week of 9 August 2016 ............................................................. 68 Appendix B: Description of Media Programmes .......................................................................... 69 Appendix C: Description of Populism and American Dream Subcategories ............................... 70 Fitzgerald,