Media Tenor U.S. Election Sentiment Tracker: Clinton Back in the Lead

U.S. TV & print news, August 1, 2015 – September 27, 2016

New York, October 1, 2016. The media aftermath of the first presidential debate placed Clinton as the firm winner on the economy, national security, and in the overall evaluation of the race. However, high levels of negativity for both candidates and historical examples where the tide turned in later debates, means the election isn’t over yet, according to new research from Media Tenor International.

“As we predicted, Clinton was well-prepared for the media environment surrounding the debate, and Trump did not learn the lessons of the past on tone and demeanor. This was in line with polls in Florida, Nevada, Michigan and New Hampshire, that showed a positive shift in support for Clinton after the debate was covered by the media,” says Roland Schatz, founder and CEO of Media Tenor. “The importance of national security issues in the post-9/11 era cannot be overstated, and despite Clinton faring better, high levels of negativity for Clinton suggest that she still faces risks.”

“How long and how large Clinton’s post-debate bounce is will be dependent not just on her performance in future debates, but also on how much free advertising the media continues to give Donald Trump through the type of positive and neutral coverage that has lowered the bar for him and tightened the race. For some reporters, the tally of contributions to Trump’s campaign through this positive and neutral journalism has amounted to millions of dollars.”

This research examined all 93,346 reports on politicians on five U.S. TV news programs and in opinion-leading print publications and 14,506 lines of data on presidential candidates in previous elections, 2000 – 2012.

For over 20 years Media Tenor’s mission has been to contribute to objective, diverse and newsworthy media content by bringing together the diverse parties. Media Tenor’s global research projects include analyses of election campaigns, investor relations, public diplomacy, corporate communications and other topics critical to news makers and news audiences. For more information, please contact Racheline Maltese at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or +1 212-935-0210.