News Media Trends

Mixed Reactions to Media Coverage

There was a significant spike in coverage of the troubled U.S. economy last week as Washington seemed to start tackling some of the key issues more aggressively. And if Julian Assange wasn’t already a household word, the man famous for sharing U.S. secrets generated enormous attention with new revelations.

The outrage over new security measures at the nation’s airports ran rampant among bloggers, Tweeters, and YouTube viewers. Phrases like “security theater,” “money making scam” and even an animated reenactment of full body x-rays and pat-downs pervaded social media.

Most Aware of Energy Drink Warnings

The state of the troubled U.S. economy, the old reliable of news stories, was the biggest topic in the news last week. But the media also focused on some new TSA screening techniques that seemed to poke and provoke some travelers. And continued coverage of the midterms focused on new power players in Washington.

News of scientists’ plans to more actively warn of global warming dangers generated a big response from bloggers last week. And on YouTube, the continuing Philip DeFranco phenomenon illustrates the online platform’s power to turn regular folks into video stars.

Summary of Findings The public continued to focus most closely on the outcome of the midterm elections last week as news coverage highlighted their impact on the balance of power and the agenda in Washington. A quarter of the public (25%) says they followed news about the election outcome more closely than any other major […]

Three stories topped the news last week—the economy, the aftermath of the 2010 midterms and the president’s trip to Asia—and all three involved narratives that were not positive for President Obama. The week’s other top stories included a cruise gone awry and a former president resurfacing on the media circuit to pitch his new book.

A backlash against columnist David Broder’s suggestions for Obama united bloggers last week while and Comedy Central’s Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear got mixed reviews.  

Summary of Findings The results of the midterm elections dominated both the public’s interest and media attention last week as Republicans easily won control of the House while making big gains in the Senate and in many statehouses. Fully 43% say they followed news about the election outcome more closely than any other news, according […]