Short Reads

Today marks the beginning of what is likely to be a closely watched courtroom battle—the murder trial of George Zimmerman for the fatal shooting of 17-year old Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida on February 26, 2012. While there has been ongoing coverage of the case and the run-up to the trial, it may be hard […]

American teens have long been the country's most-wired age group. But contrary to the stereotype of hyper-connected teens, they say some things are better done in person.

Men spend more time than women – about five hours more a week – in leisure activities such as TV, playing games and sports.

Since 9/11, Americans generally have valued protection from terrorism over civil liberties, yet they also have expressed concerns over government overreach and intrusions on their personal privacy.

Hezbollah is widely unpopular among publics in the Middle East. Most in Lebanon, which is Hezbollah's base, have an unfavorable view of it, but opinions differ among religious groups.

Journalists and print loyalists who are dejected about the state of the U.S. newspaper business may be comforted — or perhaps made a bit envious — by the knowledge that in at least some other countries, newspaper circulation continues to rise smartly. The chart below, from The Economist’s Graphic Detail blog, uses data from the World Press […]

For the first time, the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project has found that cell phone ownership among adults has exceeded 90%. Cell phones are now being used by 91% of adults, according to the survey conducted between April 17 and May 19 of 2,252 adults. While the adoption figures are stunning by […]

Nearly seven in 10 Americans agree that there's solid evidence the earth’s average temperature has been rising over the past few decades.

MSNBC president Phil Griffin generated plenty of media attention this week when he said, in a New York Times interview, that his channel was “not the place” for breaking news. “Our brand is not that.” Griffin was responding to a significant decline in MSNBC’s ratings, which the Times reported was down 18% in prime time […]