Twitter users continued to voice their displeasure at Rupert Murdoch last week, and a discussion of the scandal affecting his company was among the top videos on YouTube. On blogs, the No. 1 story was about the federal government’s ruling that marijuana has no accepted medical use.

Criticism of a 2012 GOP presidential candidate dominated the conversation on blogs last week, while Twitter users got excited over a new social networking tool from Google. On YouTube, strange objects in the air over London generated the most views.

Bloggers last week dug into a financial disaster surrounding a controversial war. On Twitter, science stories, including an eclipse and global warming, led the way. And the top YouTube video showed the downside of a social media misstep.

The new Apple operating system sent Twitter users buzzing last week while bloggers kept a close eye on a courtroom battle over the new health care law. And on YouTube, Sarah Palin’s retelling of Paul Revere’s ride was the lead video.

Many bloggers took a decidedly political view of the death of bin Laden last week while others decided to weigh in on the news of a celebrity marriage breakup. On Twitter, Microsoft’s $8.5 billion purchase of Skype created significant buzz.

Bloggers and tweeters agreed last week that Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ upcoming biography was big news while another high-tech executive generated major attention on blogs for walking out on an interview. A touching reunion between a woman and her dog was among the top YouTube videos.

From a Supreme Court decision to the discovery of ancient books, bloggers hit on a variety of topics last week——a very different list than that of the mainstream media. And YouTube viewers gave top billing to images from Japan.

The crucial events unfolding in both Japan and Libya were among the top stories on blogs last week. But the No. 1 topic was a celebration of the extraordinary life of Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor. On Twitter, the leading story was a high-tech business deal.

The aftermath of the devastating Japanese earthquake and tsunami, including fears about leaking radiation, commanded the attention of bloggers, Twitter users and YouTube viewers last week—eclipsing every other news event. And each of those platforms performed a different function.

The fallout from the firing of Agriculture Department official Shirley Sherrod and the one-year anniversary of the controversial arrest of African American Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., have put race back in the news. How much coverage do African Americans receive? What role did race play in coverage of the Obama Administration? A new study examining media coverage of African Americans in the first year of the Obama presidency offers answers.