Clinton survives FBI announcement; victory expected November 8

U.S. TV & print news, January 1 – November 6, 2016

New York, November 7, 2016. With the shifting of the media agenda and the FBI’s announcement that none of the newly investigated emails merit charges, Clinton has regained a significant media advantage going into election day and is likely to be the 45th president of the United States, according to new research from Media Tenor International.

“While the FBI announcement initially hit Clinton hard as the media made the issue out to be more than it was, she was able to bounce back even before they announced no charges would be filed regarding the additional emails,” says Roland Schatz, founder and CEO of Media Tenor. “Clinton’s advantage over Trump has recovered to the levels seen before the late October announcement from FBI Director Comey. The ongoing message from her surrogates that she is the most qualified to govern helped insulate her through the media risks of the FBI story. This is not dissimilar to 2000 when revelations about Bush’s relationship with alcohol triggered a dip in his media image, but was not enough to disrupt the overall positive narrative established in the debates with Gore.”

Trump does have one remaining image advantage on national security. “Trump has a slightly better image on security than Clinton, but every time the topic is discussed, he also generates negative coverage due to his isolationist and nationalist policies. He has not been able to effectively press this advantage in some time.”

“Trump originally started to lose the election even before the convention season,” Schatz adds. “He never regained a positive image after the primaries. As the media offers an overview of the whole campaign season on the eve of the election, the Trump story will likely feature his missteps, while the Clinton story will likely feature obstacles – like the FBI – overcome.”

Finally, Schatz notes that the election ultimately had two losers – the public that failed to receive the information it needed, and the media, that continued to damage its reputation as an unbiased source for relevant information.

This research examined 64,095 reports on politicians on five U.S. TV news programs and in 8 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.This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or +1 212-935-0210.