Introduction

The world of media has certainly continued to evolve as the political divide appears to be continuing to grow wider. Twitter has become a hotspot of activity as supporters and activists have taken to the platform the exchange their views and share content. On the Twitter platform the media networks of CNN and FoxNews have clear audiences on each side of the political spectrum that they cater their news to. Looking at 1492 Tweets from each user on Twitter we look to answer the following questions.

  1. Is FoxNews or CNN more negative in their tweeting?
  2. Does day of week influence if a tweet is positive or negative?
  3. Which emotions are more prevalent on CNN and FoxNews Twitter accounts?

Is FoxNews or CNN more negative in their tweeting?

Looking at the overall sentiment of tweets it is very close in terms of positive sentiment words but overall FoxNews has a more negative count which may be relational to the current administration. An interesting view of this would be looking further in history and comparing positivity and negativity based upon the administration in power.

Does day of week influence if a tweet is positive or negative?

The overall negativity as you look accross both media accounts reveals Tuesday is the most negative day, while Thursday would be the most positive, although it is net negative. Looking at the results of net sentiment by day of the week and network it clear that Friday is the day of negativity for FoxNews while Tuesday is the most negative day for CNN.

Which emotions are more prevalent on CNN and FoxNews Twitter accounts?

Looking at the emotions assigned it is interesting to see that trust and fear are the two emotions that are prevalent accross both news accounts.