Our usual perspective on the week’s news coverage these days anchored by whether the economic crisis is the #1 story, of if some other up-and-comer has dislodged it.
During the week of 6/22/28/09, according to the Project for Excellence in Journalism, it dropped all the way to #5. The non-stop drama in Iran put it in the top slot despite the blanket coverage given the Thursday evening Michael Jackson death by cable.
Radio idiosyncratically made the Sanford scandal and health care its #1 and #2 stories.
| Story | Overall | Newspaper | Online | NetTV | CATV | Radio |
| Iran | 19% | 18% | 22% | 16% | 21% | 12% |
| Michael Jackson dies | 18% | 9% | 11% | 22% | 36% | 8% |
| Gov. Sanford scandal | 11% | 5% | 12% | 9% | 13% | 16% |
| Health care debate | 7% | 7% | 5% | 11% | 4% | 15% |
| Economic crisis | 7% | 13% | 7% | 10% | 3% | 4% |
| DC Metro crash | 5% | 4% | 7% | 7% | 5% | 2% |
| Supreme Court actions | 2% | 4% | 2% | 2% | x | 2% |
| Tobacco legislation | 2% | x | x | x | 4% | x |
| Education system | 1% | 3% | 2% | x | x | x |
| Afghanistan | 1% | 4% | x | x | x | x |
| Mexican drug war | x | 3% | x | x | x | x |
| Pakistan | x | x | 3% | x | x | x |
| Obama administration | x | x | 2% | x | 2% | x |
| Farah Fawcett dies | x | x | x | 3% | x | x |
| North Korea | x | x | x | 2% | 2% | x |
| Ed McMahon dies | x | x | x | 2% | x | x |
| Going green/pollution | x | x | x | x | 1% | 4% |
| Global warming | x | x | x | x | x | 2% |
| Myanmar unrest | x | x | x | x | x | 2% |
Source: Project for Excellence in Journalism
