The media's influence on the upcoming papal conclave is unprecedented, especially as many cardinals meet for the first time. With Pope Francis having selected a diverse group, relationships among electors are strained. The conclave includes candidates from countries without cardinal representation before, and thus, media narratives shape how cardinals perceive one another. Given the absence of prior personal connections, the results of the conclave will heavily depend on media portrayals, which have become the primary source of information about each other among the electors.
In the absence of personal relationships, media have filled the gap. Cardinals know little about their peers beyond what they've read in the papers, which have formed their impressions of one another more than ever before.
Correctly predicting the outcome of the papal conclave that starts tomorrow would take intuition, access, and-most important-dumb luck. Think of a U.S. presidential election but with 133 candidates, an international electorate, and no polling.
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