I don’t know how many times I’ve read sentences like this one from the NBC write-up of their new poll:

Despite facing several indictments, having his mugshot released in August and skipping the first Republican debate, Trump now leads the Republican presidential contest by more than 40 points, according to the poll.

“Despite”? Really, after all this time, it’s still “despite”? I can see how the word “despite” in this context has some appeal based on dated assumptions, but it should be “because,” i.e., Trump didn’t gain in some polls after the first Republican debate “despite” his mug shot, but because his mugshot blotted out the sun and became an instantly iconic symbol of his defiance.

It’s probably too much to ask that journalists adjust their language accordingly, but they should.