Wall Street Journal

Quoted by Bruno as part of a portfolio of reassuring polls.

Shapes narrative through perceived objectivity and reach; campaign leans on its authority.

Helps the campaign claim steadiness in the face of economic turbulence.

Through poll citations presented by Bruno.

Functions as a counterbalance to alarm by leveraging institutional trust in its polling.

Provides a buffer against hasty panic; demonstrates the interplay between economics and polling in campaign decision-making.

Indirectly, through Leo's reference to the newspaper's reporting timeline and inflated numbers.

Media exercises agenda-setting power; its reporting pressures both the White House and the Pentagon.

Demonstrates how press leaks can preempt or distort official channels, increasing political pressure on administrations.

N/A to the government agencies in the room, but it catalyzes interagency blame and defensiveness.

Through cited newspaper reporting — the story's numbers are read aloud and used as a factual peg in the debate.

Exerts agenda‑setting power by shaping public knowledge; challenges government messaging and forces institutional defensive responses.

Demonstrates how media leaks can distort internal estimates, force premature policy debates, and create political liabilities for the administration.

Not depicted in scene; the organization functions externally as an independent press actor.

Referenced through quoted attacks and poll citations read aloud by staff.

Exerts reputational weight that pressures the campaign and White House advisers to respond.

Amplifies local problems into national stories, forcing national staff into damage-control mode.

Referenced through quoted headlines and paraphrased attacks read aloud by staff.

National media exercises reputational power that amplifies local vulnerabilities; it shapes the agenda aides must respond to.

Elevates a local campaign misstep into a national story, forcing coordination between the White House and campaign staff.

Via cited article and headline read aloud by staff as authoritative evidence.

Acts as an external influencer shaping political narrative; the staff treat its coverage as a lever to be countered or exploited.

Its coverage forces the White House and campaign to allocate scarce communications resources to rebuttal or reframing, illustrating media power over political agendas.