An informal survey has found that international affairs are one of the only public policy issues in the presidential race gaining attention from the major television networks.

The survey was conducted over a two-week period in November by honors students at St. Bonaventure University. The students logged posts on X from ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox, NBC and MSNBC and coded them by topic.

Most of the posts (67 of 90) were about political activities such as endorsements, strategy, polls, ads, and attacks on other candidates.

More than half of the other posts (14 of 23) were about international affairs. Nine of these posts were about the violence in the Mideast; four were about relations with China, and one was about Argentina’s next president.

The only other public policy issues mentioned in the posts were the economy, health care and public safety. Each issue was mentioned in just one post.

“It’s not unusual for horserace issues to dominate campaign coverage,” said Jandoli Institute Executive Director Richard Lee. “But I find it intriguing to see that posts on international affairs appeared much more often than domestic issues, which have a more immediate impact on voters.”

Turning to the candidates, the posts mirrored national polls that show President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump leading the race.

Trump was the subject of 64 posts; Biden’s name appeared 62 times.

Mirroring national polls again, Trump’s numbers far exceeded his GOP rivals. Nikki Haley was mentioned 20 times, followed by Vivek Ramaswamy, 17; Ron DeSantis, 16, Tim Scott, 5, and Chris Christie 4.

Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin, who is not running but is considered a possible presidential candidate, was mentioned in one of the posts.

Categories: Jandoli Institute, Media, Politics, Research, Research Essays