Visual priming and framing of the 2016 GOP and Democratic Party presidential primary debates

Abstract

In an on-demand media environment, the 2016 presidential primary debates provided a ratings and economic boost to host networks surpassing all prior primary debates and even major sporting events in viewership. In turn, millions of viewers were exposed to and subtly influenced by the ways in which these candidates were visually presented. We analyze how the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates were presented in their initial two debates (Fox News and CNN; CNN and CBS, respectively). Candidates are considered in terms of visual priming through aggregate camera time and average camera fixation time and how contenders were visually framed through the proportion of different camera shot types used (solo, split screen, side by side, multiple candidate, and audience reaction). Findings suggest that while the front-runners from both political parties benefited from preferential visual coverage, Donald Trump stood out in terms of the visual priming and framing that presented him as a serious contender.

Visual Priming and Framing During the 2020 Democratic Presidential Debates: Electoral Status Predicts Favorable Camera Treatment

“…2 Candidate electoral status was operationalized in four ways: top-two, top-tier, stage position, and polling average. First, in line with previous research (Stewart et al 2019), the top-two candidates as determined by poll standing in each debate were coded as "high status" (1) and bottom eight were coded as "low status" (0). Second, we considered candidates to have top-tier electoral status based on whether they were considered "upper-tier" (1) or "lower-tier" (0) during the assignment procedure by which candidates were scheduled (see "Research Question" section above and preregistration on the Open Science Foundation website for full description of this procedure).…”

“…Findings from the 2016 primary debates provide some support for the tendency of front-runners to receive more total camera time and longer shot fixations than lowerstatus candidates (Stewart et al 2019). As a result, the expectation in 2020 is that candidates with higher status will receive (Hypothesis 1 [H1]) more total camera time than other, lower-status candidates (Milavsky and Zhu 1996;Stewart et al 2019).…”

“…Likewise, eye tracking research suggests that individuals perceived as leaders are given greater visual attention than lesser-ranking contenders (Gerpott et al 2018). Furthermore, where people look in a televised political event may be affected by a putative leader's nonverbal style (Bucy and Gong 2016;Gong and Bucy 2016;Holland et al 2017), which is mediated by varying camera angles and shot types (Bucy and Newhagen 1999;Stewart et al 2019;Tiemens 1970Tiemens , 1978Tiemens et al 1985). As a result, how a candidate appears on camera could provide significant advantages in terms of both the amount and type of visual attention.…”

“…Being shown in multicandidate shots reflects diminished electoral status (Stewart et al 2019). Indeed, analysis of the 2016 Republican primary debates found that high proportions of multicandidate shots were a clear indicator of low electoral status.…”

“…The 2020 Democratic primary debates provide the opportunity to replicate a content analysis of visual production choices used by three different commercial networks (FOX News, CNN, and CBS) during the initial 2016 primary debates (Stewart et al 2019). In that previous analysis, which coded both Democratic and Republican debates, distinct patterns in the visual treatment of candidates stood out.…”