Thread by @MattGertz

STUDY: Trump’s phony caravan “crisis” consumed Wash. Post, NY Times

The papers have produced 115 news stories referencing the caravan, putting 25 on A1
mm4a.org/4G9

President Trump has taken Fox News’ advice and successfully turned the network’s fearmongering about an “invasion” by a caravan of migrants. The caravan is shrinking and weeks away, but Trump has been able to use his bully pulpit to move it to the top of the media agenda.

The individual articles are in many cases laudable -- compelling stories of the migrants themselves, debunk the president’s lies and conspiracy theories, and point to the facts that undermine his demagoguery.

But the sheer volume of the coverage can’t help but fuel Trump’s claims that the caravan’s approach represents a crisis and suck oxygen away from other stories in the lead-up to the midterm elections.

Resources are limited, and A1 space is precious, so papers have to prioritize. Column inches devoted to the caravan can’t be used to cover health care, or the social safety net, or Trump administration corruption.

And in the weeks leading up to the midterms, time and again, the story that got the most attention was the one the president wanted to get attention.

We saw a Republican manufactured crisis consume the press with Ebola in 2014.

Right before the 2016 election, it was Comey's email letter that became the overwhelming subject of discussion.

Editors and producers remain stymied by how to respond when political leaders seek to manipulate them in order to focus the public’s attention on the issues of their choice.

There's no caravan crisis. But I think there is a journalistic one. #fin

Had a labeling error on the Y-axis, going to tweet the charts again. Data is unchanged.

STUDY: Trump’s phony caravan “crisis” consumed Wash. Post, NY Times

The papers have produced 115 news stories referencing the caravan, putting 25 on A1
mm4a.org/4G9