report | Apr 12, 2011

Public Follows Both Japan, Shutdown Fight Closely

  Summary of Findings The public divided its attention last week between two major stories: the aftermath of the deadly earthquake and tsunami in Japan and the budget battle in Washington that nearly led to a government shutdown. About a third say they followed news about the aftermath of the disasters in Japan (34%) or […]

report | Apr 10, 2011

The Shutdown Drama Drives the News

The media narrative moved from overseas to the Beltway last week as budget battles trumped press interest in Libyan fighting and Japanese nuclear worries. The question is whether a long run of dominant international news will now give way to ongoing coverage of domestic concerns.

report | Apr 8, 2011

Five Myths about the Future of Journalism

As media organizations plot their future, it's worth discarding some misconceptions about what it will take to keep the press from becoming yesterday's news. Here, in an aricle prepared for the Washington Post, are five frequent, if faulty, allegations:

report | Apr 6, 2011

Public Sees Better News about Jobs, But Not Prices

Summary of Findings With the employment picture slowly improving in recent months, fewer Americans say they are hearing mostly bad news about the job situation. At the same time, perceptions of news about prices – especially gas prices – remain overwhelmingly negative. Currently, 43% say they are hearing mostly bad news about the job situation […]

report | Apr 3, 2011

Libya Drives the News as Concerns Grow

In a week in which the president defended his Libya policy to the American public, the Middle East again topped the news agenda. But coverage of that subject and the aftermath of the Japanese earthquake tailed off a bit last week as both crises defied any quick resolution.

report | Apr 1, 2011

Bloggers Remember Elizabeth Taylor

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.

report | Mar 30, 2011

Public Stays Focused on Japan as Media Turns to Libya

Summary of Findings The public’s news interests this week are far out of sync with the news media’s coverage: While the aftermath of the Japan earthquake and tsunami was the public’s top story by a wide margin, news organizations devoted far more coverage to the military conflict in Libya. Nearly six-in-ten Americans (57%) say they […]

report | Mar 30, 2011

Lukewarm Public Interest in Libya

While the media pivoted to Libya, the public did not follow, keeping their focus on the crisis in Japan. Americans give the press high marks for their coverage of the Japan disaster and Libya conflict, but have little praise for media coverage of economics and politics.

report | Mar 26, 2011

Libya Dominates the News as U.S. Enters the War

Libya traded places with Japan as the top storyline in the news last week as the media scrambled to cover two international crises at once. The biggest domestic news story, meanwhile, was the death of a Hollywood icon.

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fact sheet | Sep 20, 2022

Social Media and News Fact Sheet

Digital news has become an important part of Americans’ news media diets, with social media playing a crucial role in news consumption.