Only 39% of the newshole was spent on Campaign 2008 during the week of 9/8/08-9/14/08, according to the Project for Excellence in Journalism. That left room for Ike, Fannie and Freddie to get some air and ink, and six stories made the overall top 10 chart with a respectable 2% of available time and space.
There was even room for a rare pure science story – the CERN Big Bang machine managed to earn 2% coverage. Hurricane Ike kept the weather on the charts, and international hotspots of the week included Afghanistan, Iraq and North Korea.
The US government even chipped in the kind of story usually coming out of Hollywood or Vegas – a sex scandal at the Department of Interior was good for a 2% share.
| Story | Overall | Newspaper | Online | Net.TV | CATV | Radio |
| 2008 campaign | 39% | 21% | 22% | 44% | 63% | 53% |
| Hurricane Ike | 14% | 10% | 17% | 15% | 17% | 6% |
| Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac woes | 6% | 13% | x | 4% | 3% | 6% |
| 9/11 commemorations | 6% | 6% | 8% | 6% | 1% | 9% |
| CERN Big Bang machine | 2% | x | 6% | 3% | x | x |
| Afghanistan | 2% | 3% | 4% | 3% | x | x |
| Lehman Brothers | 2% | 4% | x | x | 1% | x |
| Iraq policy | 2% | x | 4% | 3% | 1% | x |
| North Korea | 2% | x | 4% | x | 1% | x |
| Sex, oil, Interior Dept. | 2% | 3% | x | 1% | x | 1% |
| Gas/oil prices | x | 4% | x | x | 1% | x |
| Domestic terrorism | x | 3% | 2% | x | x | 1% |
| LA train crash | x | 3% | x | x | x | x |
| Pakistan | x | x | 5% | x | x | x |
| Georgia/Russia conflict | x | x | 3% | x | x | x |
| Woodward "The War Within" | x | x | x | 1% | x | x |
| Tomatoes, salmonella | x | x | x | 1% | x | x |
| War on terror | x | x | x | x | 1% | x |
| Immigration | x | x | x | x | 1% | x |
| Russia | x | x | x | x | x | 1% |
| Energy debate | x | x | x | x | x | 1% |
| US airline industry | x | x | x | x | x | 1% |
| US economy | x | x | x | x | x | 1% |
Source: Project for Excellence in Journalism
