Washington Post Trump video scoop forces media to toughen reporting

U.S. TV & print news, September 26 – October 9, 2016

New York, October 10, 2016. Going into the second debate, Donald Trump was hit hard thanks to The Washington Post’s coverage of recent campaign performance and its scoop on the videotaped comments regarding nonconsensual sexual activity directed at women. Issues of typical concern to voters were off the agenda, as the media focused on Trump’s relationship towards women, according to new research from Media Tenor International.

“Trump is on the way to becoming known for the very things that he has criticized Democrats, and particularly Bill Clinton, for in the past,” says Roland Schatz, the founder and CEO of Media Tenor. “With the media unable to look away from this story, according to LifeWay Research 25% of evangelical pastors are now saying they are no longer voting for the GOP candidate, as the media narrative around Trump becomes contrary to what is normally a reliable base for Republican candidates. Religious leaders are opinion leaders since they speak up week after week and have influence on voters’ decisions, as was demonstrated when the Lewinsky scandal harmed the Democrats.”

“Clinton has remained prepared for this media environment and has worked hard to shift the media agenda towards topics where she has an advantage. However, media sentiment on national security places the two candidates in a near tie, and is her one potential weakness in the media sentiment,” Schatz adds. “Despite this, polling continues to reflect the media tone and agenda, with national polls conducted before the debate now giving Clinton a double-digit lead, reflecting her over 40-point advantage in the media.”

This research examined 1,747 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.