ZAC SCHULTZ:
DONALD TRUMP ANNOUNCED HE WAS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT IN JUNE OF 2015. AND FOR THE NEXT YEAR THE EXPERTS PREDICTED THERE WAS NO WAY HE WOULD BE THE NOMINEE. WELL, HE IS. AND NOW THE QUESTION OF HOW HE DID IT IS BEING ASKED BY POLITICIANS, ANALYSTS AND PUNDITS ALL ACROSS THE WORLD. HERE WITH ONE PART OF THE EXPLANATION IS CHRIS WELLS. ALSO AN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AT THE UW SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM. THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
CHRIS WELLS:
YOU’RE WELCOME. NICE TO BE HERE.
ZAC SCHULTZ:
SO YOU AND A LONG LIST OF COLLEAGUES RECENTLY PUBLISHED A PAPER CALLED “HOW TRUMP DROVE COVERAGE TO THE NOMINATION: HYBRID MEDIA CAMPAIGNING.” WHAT WERE YOU LOOKING AT IN THIS STUDY?
CHRIS WELLS:
WE WERE LOOKING AT THE VERY LARGE AMOUNT OF COVERAGE THAT TRUMP GOT FROM THE NEWS MEDIA DURING HIS PRIMARY CAMPAIGN FOR THE REPUBLICAN NOMINATION. SO WE KNEW THAT THERE HAD BEEN A LOT THERE AND WE WERE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IT WAS THAT DROVE THAT AMOUNT OF COVERAGE TOWARD TRUMP. SO WE LOOKED AT A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT WAYS THAT HE HARNESSED THAT COVERAGE AND REALLY FOUND THAT HE WAS ABLE TO ATTRACT COVERAGE FOR ALMOST ANYTHING HE DID.
ZAC SCHULTZ:
THAT SEEMED TO BE THE THING. MOST ANYTHING HE DID MADE NEWS IN A GIVEN DAY. DID HE HAVE SPECIFIC WAYS THAT WORKED BEST FOR HIM?
CHRIS WELLS:
YEAH. SO THE TWO THINGS THAT REALLY STOOD OUT FOR US WERE FIRST, HIS SOCIAL MEDIA USE. HE’S BECOME A REALLY PROLIFIC TWITTER. HE’S NOW THE MOST FOLLOWED OF ALL THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES. HE’S ACTUALLY BEEN A TWITTER USER FOR SOME TIME, BUT HE’S REALLY AMPED IT UP WITH HIS CAMPAIGN. SO WE FOUND THAT HE USES THAT AND HE HAS A LOT OF SUPPORTERS THAT AMPLIFY HIS OWN MESSAGE IN TWITTER. AND WHEN THEY DO THAT IT ACTUALLY TENDS TO GET PICKED UP BY JOURNALISTS. AND SORT OF IT LAUNCHES HIM BACK INTO THE NEWS CYCLE. THE OTHER THING HE DID THAT’S REALLY UNIQUE IS HE USED TO DO A LOT OF CALLING IN TO TELEVISION SHOWS. HE DOESN’T DO THIS QUITE SO MUCH NOW BUT ESPECIALLY BACK IN LAST FALL DURING THE PRIMARY. HE WAS DOING A LOT OF CALLING IN TO CNN AND RADIO SHOWS AND SORT OF DOING AN IMPROMPTU SPEECH ON THE AIR WHERE THE JOURNALIST MIGHT NOT BE PREPARED AND HAS TO INCORPORATE HIM IN. BOTH OF THOSE THINGS INDEPENDENTLY INCREASED THE AMOUNT OF COVERAGE HE GOT.
ZAC SCHULTZ:
PEOPLE THAT DON’T LIKE TRUMP HAVE BEEN SAYING THAT IT’S THE MEDIA’S FAULT. THEY SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN GIVING HIM ALL THAT COVERAGE ESPECIALLY BEFORE ANY OF THE BALLOTS HAD BEEN CAST IN THE PRIMARY. OTHER PEOPLE SAY TRUMP JUST PLAYED THEM PERFECTLY. HE TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THE WAY THE SYSTEM IS SET UP TO CREATE A 24-HOUR NEWS CYCLE AND HE DID IT.
CHRIS WELLS:
I THINK THAT’S RIGHT. YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER TRUMP, EVEN MORE THAN BEING A BUSINESSMAN WHICH HE’S KIND OF KNOWN FOR, HE’S REALLY A PUBLIC RELATIONS MAN. HE’S DONE THIS FOR DECADES. HE’S WORKED WITH TABLOID JOURNALISM IN NEW YORK FOR DECADES. HE DID THE REALITY TV SHOW THING. HIS THING IS REALLY ATTRACTING ATTENTION. HE’S DONE IT FOR DECADES AND THERE’S NO SURPRISE THAT HE’S DOING IT NOW. HE’S REALLY GOOD AT IT.
ZAC SCHULTZ:
AND HE DIDN’T REALLY CARE IF IT WAS GOOD PUBLICITY OR BAD PUBLICITY. IT’S LIKE THE OLD ADAGE THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS BAD PUBLICITY, RIGHT?
CHRIS WELLS:
SO THAT’S A REALLY INTERESTING THING. IT SEEMS TO BE FOR TRUMP THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS BAD PUBLICITY. BUT YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER A COUPLE THINGS. ONE OF THEM IS WE’RE DEALING WITH A REALLY POLARIZED POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT. SO IF SOMETHING SOUNDS REALLY BAD TO SOME PEOPLE OR EVEN IF THE PRESS SAYS SOMETHING VERY NEGATIVE TO TRUMP, IT SOUNDS GOOD TO HIS SUPPORTERS AND IN THIS CASE TO THE REPUBLICAN PRIMARY VOTERS WHO TEND TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE CONSERVATIVE AND EXTREME THAN THE REPUBLICAN BASE AS A WHOLE. THE OTHER THING IS THAT WHEN WE SAY POSITIVE/NEGATIVE COVERAGE, THE PRESS TENDS TO COVER TRUMP AND CANDIDATES IN TERMS OF HORSE RACE COVERAGE. WHO’S DOING WELL, WHO’S DOING BADLY. SO THAT MEANT THAT LAST FALL A LOT OF THE TIMES THEY MIGHT BE CRITICIZING WHAT HE SAID, BUT AT THE SAME TIME THEY WERE NOTING THIS GUY’S RISING IN THE POLLS. HE’S BECOMING REALLY POPULAR. THAT’S NOT A NEGATIVE MESSAGE. THAT’S A POSITIVE MESSAGE.
ZAC SCHULTZ:
YOUR STUDY FOUND THAT NEWS COVERAGE DIDN’T SEEM TO FOLLOW WINS IN PRIMARIES OR DELEGATES BEING SELECTED FOR TRUMP, THAT HE KIND OF CREATED HIS OWN NEWS CYCLE EVEN WHEN THERE WAS A LULL IN TRUMP COVERAGE.
CHRIS WELLS:
THAT’S RIGHT. THAT’S ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS ABOUT PRIMARIES. IT’S KIND OF A CHICKEN AND THE EGG PROBLEM FOR A LOT OF CANDIDATES. IF THEY HAVE LOW POLL NUMBERS, THEY CAN’T GET NEWS COVERAGE BUT THEY CAN’T RAISE THEIR POLL NUMBERS UNLESS THEY GET NEWS COVERAGE. TRUMP SEEMED TO BE KIND OF OUTSIDE OF THAT, THOUGH. INITIALLY HE DIDN’T HAVE A LOT IN TERMS OF POLL NUMBERS, BUT HE WAS ALREADY GETTING A LOT OF COVERAGE, SO THAT REALLY HELPED HIM.
ZAC SCHULTZ:
CAN WE EXPECT ANY FUTURE CANDIDATES TO TRY AND FOLLOW THIS MODEL OR DO YOU HAVE TO BE TRUMP? DO YOU HAVE TO HAVE ALREADY BEEN IN THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT FOR TWO DECADES TO MAKE IT WORK?
CHRIS WELLS:
THAT’S A REALLY INTERESTING QUESTION. HE’S SPECIAL IN SO MANY WAYS. HE HAS BEEN IN THE SPOTLIGHT FOR QUITE A WHILE. HE ALSO THOUGH HE SEIZED ON A PARTICULAR MOMENT WHEN A LOT OF AMERICANS ARE REALLY STRUGGLING ECONOMICALLY IN TERMS OF JOBS. IN TERMS OF A LOT OF CHANGE GOING AROUND THE WORLD. AND HE I THINK REALLY PUT INTO WORDS A LOT OF THOSE CONCERNS. SO HE’S SORT OF ADDED ON BEING A SPECIAL POLITICIAN IN ADDITION TO HIS MEDIA WORK. SO HE’S A VERY UNIQUE FIGURE. I DON’T THINK YOU COULD SEE ANOTHER IMITATION BEING REALLY SUCCESSFUL IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
ZAC SCHULTZ:
NOW, YOU END THE PAPER BY SAYING QUOTE JOURNALISTS SHOULD REFLECT ON WHAT PROMPTS THEIR ATTENTION TO TRUMP AS WE HEAD INTO THE GENERAL ELECTION AND BEYOND. ISN’T IT TOO LATE FOR THAT? HE’S ALREADY THE NOMINEE. WE’RE ONLY A FEW WEEKS FROM THE ELECTION. EVERYTHING HE SAYS NOW IS LEGITIMATELY NEWSWORTHY.
CHRIS WELLS:
IT IS LEGITIMATELY NEWSWORTHY, THAT’S RIGHT. BUT WE HAVE HAD, YOU KNOW, WELL OVER A YEAR NOW OF ALMOST CONSTANT HORSE RACE COVERAGE OF THIS CAMPAIGN. SO WE’VE SAID WE’VE BEEN COVERING WHAT HAS TRUMP DONE IN THE LAST WEEK. WHAT HAS HILLARY SAID. WHAT HAS BERNIE SAID AND SO ON. THERE HASN’T BEEN ENOUGH ROOM FOR SORT OF REAL ISSUE DISCUSSION. YOU KNOW, SERIOUS ECONOMIC PROBLEMS, ISSUES WITH RACE IN THIS COUNTRY. THOSE HAVE BEEN KIND OF PUSHED TO THE SIDE. SO, YEAH, OF COURSE WE NEED TO COVER WHAT THE CANDIDATES ARE DOING, BUT IT MIGHT ALSO BE TIME FOR THE AMERICAN MEDIA TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF ITS OWN AGENDA. REALLY DECIDE WHAT ARE THE MAJOR ISSUES FACING THE COUNTRY AND PUT THOSE BEFORE VOTERS AND THEN, YES, HOLD THE CANDIDATES ACCOUNTABLE TO THEM.
ZAC SCHULTZ:
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND THE STUDY.
CHRIS WELLS:
THANK YOU.
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