Record of the Press · 2012–Present
Section II · SubversionExhibit S-009
Framing

"Dark": the same word across outlets on Trump's RNC speech

21 JUL 2016 · The Washington Post, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, NBC News
Side-by-side captures of the pieces in this exhibit
EXHIBIT — Page captures of the pieces below, shown side by side.

■ The pieces

■ What they show

On the night of Trump's July 21, 2016 acceptance speech and the morning after, several major outlets used "dark" in their headlines or framing. Critics such as Legal Insurrection said the shared word showed media groupthink that echoed Clinton campaign talking points.

■ The other side

Commentators across the spectrum called the speech's tone bleak, and a McGill University text analysis rated it the most negative convention acceptance speech in 40 years; the matching word may reflect the speech itself as much as coordination.

Who it helped: DemocratsUniform negative framing of the Republican nominee's speech.

■ Why it's here

This exhibit is filed under Subversion, not graded as a lie. What subversion means →