So when or if Trump runs for reelection in 2020, what should the media do differently? Deliberately refuse to cover any outrageous or shocking comments made by Trump?
That being said, Trump will have already been president for 4 years by then, so it’s not as if he needs free publicity (like he needed in 2016) - everyone in America already knows who he is by then. And free publicity wouldn’t necessarily help him at all.
Are we counting Fox as a news broadcaster? Because if so, they are/were the biggest news agency, and willfully supported Trump. No accidental exposure there, he’s BFF with hannity.
And do the totals include international news?
Anyway, I’m with the OP; I don’t see how that part could have played out differently. When candidates say stupid shit, the media covers it, and that’s usually the end of that candidate. It’s happened countless times; one dumb sentence is (rightly) all it takes. It would take remarkable foresight to think showing the “Grab 'em by the pussy” tape was playing into his hands. So to speak.