News Content Analysis

Summary of Findings As oil from an undersea well continued to flow into the Gulf of Mexico last week, Americans tracked the worsening environmental disaster much more closely than any other major news story. About half (49%) say this was the story they followed most closely. Press coverage was divided between the oil leak (17% […]

The environmental disaster in the Gulf continued its month-long run among the roster of top stories last week as the narrative focused on assigning blame for the spill. The newest Supreme Court nominee attracted detractors and supporters, but not as much coverage as her immediate predecessor.

The blogosphere was focused on two major news events last week, the failed bombing attempt in Times Square and the spreading oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. And in both instances, the conversation included a lot of partisan finger pointing. The oil spill was also among two of the most viewed news videos on YouTube while Twitter remained more fixated on Apple.

Summary of Findings Americans tracked the worsening oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico more closely than other major news stories last week, while the media focused on both the underwater oil leak and the investigation into the attempted car bombing in New York’s Times Square. A third of the public (33%) says they most […]

The media scrambled last week as authorities arrested a suspect in the Times Square terror case, the Gulf oil spill grew more ominous, Wall Street went briefly into free fall and floods took a deadly toll in Tennessee. All of which left little room for coverage of a crucial overseas election.

The controversial immigration law in Arizona sparked significant interest in the blogosphere last week, as it did in the mainstream media. But the social media also focused intently on a story that was largely absent in the MSM—the question of whether we on earth should consider E.T. a friend or foe.

Summary of Findings As a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico spread toward the Louisiana coastline last week, the public focused on the unfolding story of a potential environmental disaster. The spill dominated the public’s consciousness. It was the story people were most likely to say they talked about with friends. The percentage […]

With Congress putting one of Wall Street’s big-name firms on the hot seat, the economy topped the news agenda last week. Increasingly grim news about the Gulf Coast oil spill and the polarizing debate over Arizona’s immigration law also attracted significant coverage. Meanwhile, a prominent GOP defector drove coverage of the mid-term elections.

The travel delays and cancelled flights caused by the eruption of an Icelandic volcano dominated the conversation among bloggers last week. But an Iranian cleric’s claim that immodest women were to blame for earthquakes generated its fair share of attention. On Twitter, stories about Apple’s iPhone and iPad received the most links.

Summary of Findings The public and the media focused on economic issues last week, with 24% of Americans saying they followed news about the economy more closely than other major stories. Another 9% say they followed news about proposals for stricter regulation of banks and financial institutions most closely. Americans also continued to closely track […]