
According to the study’s author, Trump dominated the news because his behavior met the stories' demands. "The news is not about what’s ordinary or expected," the study says. "It’s about what’s new and different, better yet when laced with conflict and outrage. Trump delivered that type of material by the cart load.” Trump packaged news into easily digestible and deliciously controversial bites. As a result, his message (“make America great again”) was simply heard more often than Clinton’s (“stronger together”). The “overwhelmingly negative” tone of campaign coverage also helped normalize Trump. “When everything and everybody is portrayed as deeply flawed, there’s no sense making distinctions on that score, which works to the advantage of those who are more deeply flawed.” Countless voters viewed Clinton and Trump as equally flawed because of the media’s bias towards negativity.