A plot and an explosion distract from the economy

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Three stories dominated the news coverage chart for the week of 5/3-9/10, according to the Project for Excellence in journalism. All three received double-digit coverage. In fact, all three received double-digit coverage from all five media categories monitored by PEJ. They were the Times Square bomb plot, the Gulf oil rig explosion and the economy.


They finished with ratings of 25%, 20% and 13%, respectively.

Not all media put the stories in the same order, but they all had them in the top three with double digits.

That didn’t leave as much room underneath for other stories, and the narratives that attracted attention were all over the map. There were two election categories, one involving the developing midterm story here in the US, and the other courtesy of the change in prime ministers over in the UK.

Story Overall Newspaper Online NetTV CATV Radio
Times Square bomb plot 25% 19% 17% 33% 38% 19%
Oil rig explosion 20% 23% 21% 20% 14% 26%
Economic crisis 13% 10% 13% 14% 11% 20%
Southeast flooding 4% x 6% 5% 5% 3%
UK election 2% 2% 4% 2% x x
Immigration debate 2% x x 1% 6% x
2010 elections 2% 3% x x 4% x
Iran 2% x 5% x x x
UVA lacrosse murder 2% x 4% 3% x 2%
Domestic terrorism 2% x x 1% 5% x
Education system x 4% x x 2% x
War on Terror x 3% x x x x
Cyberspace issues x 3% x x x x
Catholic abuse scandal x 3% x 1% x x
Health care debate x 1% x x x x
US airline industry x x 2% x x 4%
Tea Party movement x x 1% x x x
US auto industry x x 1% x x x
Future of the GOP x x x 2% x x
Obama administration x x x x 2% 4%
Energy debate x x x x 2% x
Pakistan x x x x x 2%
WH Correspondents Dinner x x x x x 2%
Same sex marriage debate x x x x x 2%

Source: Project for Excellence in Journalism