On the 2016 campaign trail : how the media covered Hispanic and Latino candidates and candidates' use of Spanish

Abstract

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] This study discovers if and how newspapers portray Spanish-speaking presidential candidates differently than they do presidential candidates who choose not to speak or cannot speak Spanish. It explores what frames voters are likely to encounter and how this could affect the information voters receive in helping them form opinions on the candidates. My research indicated the following: First, the media clearly framed the fluent Spanish-speaking candidates - Bush and Rubio - differently than their nonSpanish-speaking counterparts. Second, a candidate's ability to attract Hispanic and Latino votes was portrayed by the newspapers as related to the immigration reform platform the candidates supported. Third, there was a noticeable difference in horse race framing between announcement articles of Spanish-speaking candidates and those candidates who are not fluent in Spanish