Patterson, Thomas E.2025-09-182020-12Patterson, Thomas E. “A Tale of Two Elections: CBS and Fox News’ Portrayal of the 2020 Presidential Campaign.” Shorenstein Center Discussion Papers Series. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University , December 2020.https://dash.harvard.edu/handle/1/42719528During every stage of the 2020 presidential campaign, Donald Trump was the center of attention on the nightly newscasts of CBS and Fox News. The pattern had started much earlier. Our study of the 2016 presidential campaign found that Trump was the most heavily covered candidate in the national press during every month – and nearly every week - of the 2016 presidential campaign. The media’s obsession with Trump is no mystery. No politician of recent times has so steadily supplied the controversy and novelty that journalists seek in their news stories and that audiences relish. Trump quipped that, within seconds of touching the send button on his Twitter feed, news outletsWorking Paper