Blackwater focuses attention in Iraq

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RBR.com
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Most of the time, the debate over US policy in Iraq gets more attention in the US media than do actual events there, but that was not the case during the week of 9/30/07-10/5/07, according to the latest news coverage study from the Project for Excellence in Journalism. The activities of private security contractor Blackwater fueled the coverage, getting particular emphasis at newspapers and online, and making events in Iraq one of only two stories to universally make top ten lists across five media outlet categories. The topic was downplayed on cable, however, and while radio gave it 10% of its attention, it doubled its focus on the policy debate, allowing continuing coverage of the 2008 campaign to edge out the Iraq story by 1%. The lack of a dominant third story led to scattered coverage elsewhere, with sports stories (baseball, steroids), tabloid favorites (Larry Craig, Princess Diana, Britney Spears) and global hot spots (Myanmar, Sudan/Darfur, Pakistan, North Korea) all getting enough play to show up somewhere on the various lists.


Story

Overall

Newspr

Online

NetTV

CATV

Radio

2008 campaign

14%

14%

7%

10%

19%

14%

Iraq events

13%

20%

19%

11%

4%

10%

Iraq policy

6%

x

x

2%

10%

20%

Immigration

3%

2%

x

x

8%

2%

Domestic terrorism

3%

5%

x

3%

2%

3%

Marion Jones/steroids

3%

x

x

6%

3%

x

Larry Craig scandal

2%

2%

3%

x

3%

x

US economy

2%

4%

3%

x

x

x

North Korea

2%

x

6%

3%

x

2%

Myanmar protests

2%

x

4%

x

2%

2%

Baseball playoffs

x

2%

x

x

x

x

Energy debate

x

2%

x

x

x

x

Sudan/Darfur

x

2%

4%

x

x

1%

Iraq homefront

x

2%

x

x

x

3%

Supreme Court

x

x

4%

x

x

x

S.African mine rescue

x

x

4%

x

x

x

Pakistan

x

x

2%

x

x

x

Phoenix airport death

x

x

x

4%

x

x

Health care

x

x

x

3%

x

4%

Princess Diana

x

x

x

3%

x

x

NY Knicks harrassment

x

x

x

3%

x

x

NV sex abuse video

x

x

x

x

3%

x

Britney Spears

x

x

x

x

2%

x

Source: Project for Excellence in Journalism

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