Well, that’s not quite true – two media found other issues to be more newsworthy, but the Project for Excellence in Journalism says that for the first time ever, Afghanistan was the top overall story for the US press. The measurements are for the week of 10/5-11/09. Newspapers put the economy #1 and radio picked health care, but the other three went for Afghanistan, with network television devoting 30% of its attention. Overall, the story claimed 20% of the newshole.
Newspaper and radio weren’t particularly far off the overall mark, either, of course. The stories they picked were the only two that scored in double digits overall, and both had Afghanistan as the #2 story.
| Story | Overall | Newspaper | Online | NetTV | CATV | Radio |
| Afghanistan | 20% | 13% | 17% | 30% | 25% | 14% |
| Economic crisis | 12% | 22% | 15% | 2% | 7% | 6% |
| Health care debate | 10% | 6% | 8% | 8% | 14% | 15% |
| Obama wins Nobel Peace | 5% | x | 4% | 7% | 10% | 8% |
| Swine flu | 5% | 8% | x | 11% | 3% | x |
| Obama administration | 3% | 2% | 2% | 3% | 4% | 4% |
| SCOTUS actions | 2% | 2% | 3% | 3% | x | 4% |
| Pakistan | 2% | 4% | 3% | x | x | 3% |
| David Letterman | 2% | x | x | 7% | x | 2% |
| Nobel Prizes | 1% | x | 6% | x | x | x |
| Cyberspace issues | x | 2% | x | x | x | x |
| VA gubernatorials | x | 2% | x | x | x | x |
| G-20 Summit | x | 2% | x | x | x | x |
| Events in Iraq | x | x | 2% | x | x | x |
| NASA moon probe | x | x | 2% | 4% | x | x |
| Chicago teen violence | x | x | x | 4% | x | x |
| Congressional scandals | x | x | x | x | 2% | x |
| 2010 elections | x | x | x | x | 2% | x |
| ACORN controversy | x | x | x | x | 2% | x |
| Iran | x | x | x | x | 2% | x |
| 2016 Olympics | x | x | x | x | x | 5% |
| North Korea | x | x | x | x | x | 2% |
Source: Project for Excellence in Journalism
