Donald Trump has become the frontrunner in the Republican primary. With no experience in elected office and many controversial statements, many people did not expect him to fare this well. Some have suggested that his success in the primaries is due to media attention. They argue that a candidate who was not taken seriously at the beginning became a serious contender because the media treated him as one. Time magazine published a report that Trump has received $2 billion of free media, far more than any other candidate. CBS Chairman Leslie Moonves pointed out that news coverage of Trump is making money for CBS news, too. Moonves stated, "It may not be good for America, but it's damn good for CBS." "The money's rolling in and this is fun. I've never seen anything like this, and this going to be a very good year for us. Sorry. It's a terrible thing to say. But, bring it on, Donald. Keep going." What role does the media play in politics? To what degree are media and public opinion linked? Are the news media and public opinion linked? If so, how? To what degree does public opinion shape the news media? To what degree does the news media shape public opinion? Do you maintain the same amount of skepticism/trust in the media regardless of the topic? When are you more skeptic? When are you more trusting? (For example, are you more likely to trust the media if you are close to an event/issue or further removed from it?) Is the news media biased? How is it biased? Be specific.