The media gave Obama and McCain a little room during the week of 7/28/08-8/3/08, according to the latest temperature-taking from the Project for Excellence in Journalism. It was still far and away the top story, and its position at the top of the chart was unchallenged, but the ongoing saga’s share was at 26%.
But summer is slow time in the news business unless there is one major overriding event to draw a significant portion of media attention, and this was yet another weeks without such an event. Economy-related stories, weather/cataclysm stories and foreign affairs stories divided time and space, with no less than four stories making the top ten list with a scant 2% of total coverage.
One story made that list that was featured in TVBR, though – the Ted Stevens indictment.
| Story | Overall | Newspaper | Online | Net.TV | CATV | Radio |
| Campaign 2008 | 26% | 13% | 15% | 22% | 49% | 28% |
| US economy | 5% | 6% | 9% | 6% | 2% | 2% |
| Gas/oil prices | 4% | 6% | x | 5% | 3% | 3% |
| Ted Stevens indicted | 4% | 3% | x | 5% | 5% | 3% |
| Events in Iraq | 4% | x | x | x | x | x |
| Olympics | 3% | 6% | 6% | 2% | x | x |
| LA earthquake | 2% | x | x | 5% | 4% | 4% |
| Antrax case | 2% | x | 5% | x | x | x |
| Yosemite fire | 2% | x | 3% | 3% | x | x |
| Immigration | 2% | 4% | x | x | 2% | 3% |
| Events in Iraq | x | 4% | 6% | x | 2% | 2% |
| Irsael internal politics | x | 3% | 3% | x | x | x |
| China | x | 3% | x | x | x | x |
| Iraq homefront | x | 3% | x | x | x | x |
| Fired US attorneys | x | x | 5% | x | x | x |
| Karadzic arrested | x | x | 3% | x | x | 3% |
| Tomatoes/salmonella | x | x | 2% | x | x | x |
| Iran | x | x | x | 4% | x | x |
| TN church shooting | x | x | x | 3% | x | x |
| Iraq policy debate | x | x | x | 3% | x | x |
| Missing girl in FL | x | x | x | x | 6% | x |
| Energy debate | x | x | x | x | 2% | 4% |
| Minneapolis bridge collapse | x | x | x | x | 2% | x |
| Global warming | x | x | x | x | x | 3% |
Source: Project for Excellence in Journalism
