During the 2016 presidential election, supporters of Donald Trump commonly read and shared news stories favorable to their candidate and opposed to Hillary Clinton. In contrast, Clinton supporters relied more on mainstream news sources rather than turning to openly ideological alternatives. Similarly, Trump’s campaign rarely used academic experts to craft its policy positions, while Clinton’s campaign regularly did. These contrasts are hardly unique to 2016; they reflect enduring differences in how the two major U.S. political parties gather information. CONT.
Matt Grossmann (Michigan State U.) & Dave Hopkins (Boston College), Scholars Strategy Network