The scene is idyllic -- a late May afternoon with a large crowd sprawled across a lawn, munching on Ben and Jerry’s ice cream treats. Bernie Sanders sure knows how to kick off a campaign. The picnic functioned as an invite to his followers to support him. And many accepted, as Sanders raised a stunning 1.5 million dollars in the first twenty-four hours of his campaign1. Sanders’ fundraising is not the only impressive part of his campaign. With 614,000 Twitter followers, 1,629,700 Facebook likers, and an extremely popular Tumblr blog, Sanders has also made his mark in the World Wide Web2, 3. But a strong social media following does not necessarily mean Sanders can sweep the election. Sanders’ notable social media presence may be impressive, but when other perspectives from other types of media are considered, such as the Huffington Post, Politico or the Des Moines Register, especially from September 10th to September 16th, Sanders may not be as strong of a contender as he may appear.
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Traditional media outlets such as Huffington Post or Politico frame news less in a younger, liberal perspective, and tend to lean more conservatively. According to the Des Moines Register, an important demographic to examine, considering the impending Iowa Caucus, Sanders is “disappointing” as a candidate9. Likewise, Politico stated that “Hillary will win the primary”10. The drastic change in framing could be fatal to Sanders’ campaign. An issue for Sanders is the lack of comprehensive reporting done on him. In the week observed, little to no sources reported on Sanders’ values and goals as a candidate, just his jump in poll numbers. A study conducted by Quinnipiac Polls states 38% of Democrats nationally have not heard enough about Sanders to make a judgement call on him12. With Sanders’ messages not being broadcast enough by mainstream media, it becomes difficult for Sanders to gain new
Traditional media outlets such as Huffington Post or Politico frame news less in a younger, liberal perspective, and tend to lean more conservatively. According to the Des Moines Register, an important demographic to examine, considering the impending Iowa Caucus, Sanders is “disappointing” as a candidate9. Likewise, Politico stated that “Hillary will win the primary”10. The drastic change in framing could be fatal to Sanders’ campaign. An issue for Sanders is the lack of comprehensive reporting done on him. In the week observed, little to no sources reported on Sanders’ values and goals as a candidate, just his jump in poll numbers. A study conducted by Quinnipiac Polls states 38% of Democrats nationally have not heard enough about Sanders to make a judgement call on him12. With Sanders’ messages not being broadcast enough by mainstream media, it becomes difficult for Sanders to gain new