News framing and public approval of the tax cuts and jobs act

This study is a content analysis of 291 news articles from the New York Times and the Associated Press about the debate and passage of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. This study looks at how the news framing and economic effects highlighted in the stories changed in the month lead-up to the legislation's passage and the month after it became law. There was also a considerable shift in public approval of the law between these two time periods, as measured by public opinion polls. This legislation never broke 50 [percent] approval, unlike other tax cuts in past decades that were largely popular and received favorable news coverage. However, the law did become more popular after President Donald Trump signed it into law. The shift in popularity occurred when the share of news coverage focusing on positive economic outcomes increased. The study is guided by the research question of how news coverage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act differed in framing and economic outcomes differed between the two time periods. This study is important because it demonstrates how the frequency of positive or negative economic outcomes in the news coverage correlated with public opinion over the two months included in the study. Additionally, the research found that stories that emphasized negative or neutral economic outcomes were more comprehensive than stories that focused on positive economic outcomes. The research raises practical implications for journalists about how the framing of stories and the economic outcomes included in those stories affect public perception of policies. ; Includes bibliographical references (pages 38-43)