This research is some of the most relevant in the current political climate. In the past decade, social media has become a platform for political debate, even for politicians and the president of the United States. What is said online has a direct and mounting impact on those who read and listen to it. Alabama recently passed a law, making abortion illegal after six weeks of pregnancy, and President Donald Trump took to Twitter to speak against the law. Trump has historically been conservative on the issue, but stated that this law was too far. He tweeted, “I am strongly Pro-Life, with the three exceptions — Rape, Incest and protecting the Life of the mother — the same position taken by Ronald Reagan.” He continued by saying, “We must stick together and Win for Life in 2020. If we are foolish and do not stay UNITED as one, all of our hard fought gains for Life can, and will, rapidly disappear!” (Verified Account, President Trump).
Trump uses sensationalist and hyperbolic language, and his words are retweeted and repeated by millions of people. Several articles regarding his rhetoric and the influence it has have been published, and news coverage frequently includes a breakdown of President Trump’s most recent tweets. An August 2017 article from VOA, “Trump’s Tweets, Use of Rhetoric, Keep World on Edge,” discusses the “attention-grabbing nature” of his tweets. Additionally, live news programming covers tweets made by the president, and 1 in 10 of these stories have a direct refutation of said tweets (Kludt).
News sources have also started using different language to describe each side of the debate. For example, a Stay Tuned segment by NBC on Snapchat, posted May 22, 2019, used the term “anti-abortion” instead of “pro-life.” NBC has been historically known as a more liberal news source, and this use of language demonstrates that. By taking out the word “life,” NBC has made the “anti-abortion” side of the debate less emotional. As shown in our previous research, the pro-life side has used more emotional rhetoric to attract the public, but this change to “anti-abortion” negates that and brings focus back to the center of the topic: whether abortion should be legal.
Sources:
Seldin, Jeff. “Trump’s Tweets, Use of Rhetoric, Keep World on Edge.” VOA, VOA, 11 Aug. 2017, www.voanews.com/a/trumps-tweets-use-of-rhetoric-keep-world-on-edge/3981934.html.
Aleem, Zeeshan. “Trump and Top Republicans Distance Themselves from Alabama’s Controversial Abortion Law.” Vox, Vox, 19 May 2019, www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/5/19/18631408/trump-republicans-alabama-abortion-law-rape-incest-life-danger.
Verified Account, President Trump. “President Trump (@POTUS).” Twitter, Twitter, 24 May 2019, twitter.com/potus?lang=en.
Kludt, Tom. “Study: Trump’s Tweets Lead to Bad News Coverage.” CNNMoney, Cable News Network, 2017, money.cnn.com/2017/10/18/media/donald-trump-twitter/index.html.