The Cyber-Bully and the Bully Pulpit: How Changes in the Media Landscape Affect the President

Indianapolis, IN

The level of tension between the president and the media is at an unprecedented level as President Trump wages war on “Fake News”. Since the introduction of the rhetorical presidency by Theodore Roosevelt, the president and the media have interacted to deliver a message to their constituents. There are two schools of thought about who determines the nature of this message. The first school argues that the media reports on the topics most central to the president’s agenda therefore allowing the president to control the media’s message. The second school suggests that the media sets the national tone and it is the president’s duty to react and incorporate these topics into the agenda. Understanding this relationship will allow citizens and policymakers to better comprehend the president’s message in the new era of social media. This quantitative content analysis replicates the methods of Moen (1988) while utilizing State of the Union addresses from three presidents and the coverage of the New York Times throughout the week prior and following the address. Ultimately the analysis provides unique insight into the nature of the president’s relationship with the media in the age of social media and provides keen insight for future study.