News Content Analysis

Summary of Findings In addition to following the major economic headlines last week, the public tuned into news about the Obama transition. Fully 49% followed news about plans for the new Obama administration very closely and one-in-four said this was the single news story they followed more closely than any other, making it the second […]

Although no other media stories came close to rivaling the economy’s troubles and the emerging face of the incoming administration, one other story drew sensational coverage: piracy on the high seas.

The future of the automobile industry became a major component of the country’s ongoing economic problems last week, and speculation about Obama’s cabinet appointments reached a new level.

At a time when health care is a major public policy issue, how have the U.S. media covered the complex subject of health? A new report from PEJ and the Kaiser Family Foundation examines those questions.

Summary of Findings With the presidential election behind them, Americans have turned their attention back to the nation’s economy. The economy was by far the public’s top news story last week. Fully 56% of the public followed news about the economy very closely last week, and as many as 43% listed this as the single […]

What was the big religion story of the general election? A new study by the Project for Excellence in Journalism in conjunction with the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life examines how the media covered religious matters.

The country’s weakened economy rivaled the presidential transition as top story of the week while much coverage focused on two women who ran losing campaigns for the executive branch.

The big buzz surrounding the Obama transition last week was that once-fierce rival Hillary Clinton might become his Secretary of State. Meanwhile Sarah Palin, shielded from the press during the campaign, made up for lost time with a media blitz.

Summary of Findings By all accounts, the public liked Campaign 2008 and followed election news avidly. But enough is enough. Fully 82% say they will not miss following election news, while only 17% say they will miss it. Even among Democrats, only a quarter say they will miss the campaign. Many Americans (23%) say they […]