News Media Trends

Summary of Findings An overwhelming majority of the public (87%) says celebrity scandals receive too much news coverage. This criticism generally holds across most major demographic and political groups. Virtually no one thinks there is too little coverage of celebrity scandals. When asked who is most to blame for the amount of coverage these kinds […]

Format moved to the forefront of the Talk Show universe last week. The unusual CNN/YouTube Democratic debate inspired a good deal of talk show commentary. The hosts also found time to discuss an attorney general under stress, a quarterback under arrest, and actress under duress.

With the drawn-out approval of Rupert Murdoch's bid for the Wall Street Journal finally in, attention turns to what he will make of the paper. Starting back in the early 70’s the global media magnate began investing in a series of American newspapers. How did those publications do? Here’s a scorecard.

The foreign policy sparring between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama helped make the 2008 campaign the biggest story last week. And Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’ troubles continue to make headlines. But what’s behind the recent outbreak of terrorism scares in mainstream news coverage?

The Senate slumber party/Iraq strategy showdown made the debate over the war the leading talk show subject last week. But the conversation about the 2008 presidential race, the second most popular topic, was driven by some pretty personal questions about the one woman in the race.

Summary of Findings The 2008 presidential campaign remained a top tier news story last week both in terms of coverage and public interest. The campaign has been one of the top five most covered news stories for much of the year, and public interest has remained fairly consistent. This past week, the national news media […]

Whether silly political stagecraft or a sly legislative tactic, the Senate’s all-nighter helped make the Iraq policy debate the biggest news story of the week. At the same time, there were also ominous warnings on the terror front. And YouTube inserted itself smack into the middle of the 2008 campaign coverage.

The renewed debate over U.S. strategy in Iraq was the top talk show topic last week. And the talk hosts paid plenty of attention to growing concerns about the threat posed by Al Qaeda. But it was an international concert aimed at global warming that triggered a torrent of (mostly bad) reviews.

The rule requiring broadcasters to balance views aired on controversial subjects was repealed 20 years ago. Yet in recent weeks, debate about the Fairness Doctrine has re-emerged in media circles -- especially on talk radio.

Summary of Findings While the media focused intently last week on the escalating debate over U.S. policy in Iraq, the public took a typical summer hiatus from the major news stories of the week. The Iraq war, rather than the policy debate, was the news story the public focused on most closely, but even attention […]