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N THE CURRENT POLITICAL CLIMATE, discussions of the media have often boiled down to a matter of truth vs. deceit and fake vs. real. Even within the bounds of truth, however, the media has a wide latitude to emphasize or ignore stories based on their emotional appeal to sought-after audiences. In a discussion with CNN Political Commentator and Lincoln Project Senior Advisor TARA SETMAYER, members of the Penn Political Union explore the role of “media sensationalism” in setting the political agenda and unleashing partisan passions during the Trump presidency, the COVID-19 pandemic, the summer of Black Lives Matter protests, and the long electoral season leading up to November 2020.