Focus returns to Mideast
Almost a third of the media's news attention went to the Middle East in one way or another, according to the Project for Excellence in Journalism's news coverage study for the week of 2/11-16/07. Iraq policy picked up 11% of the coverage, and other Mideast topics included Iran (7%), events in Iraq (7%), stories from the homefront (2%), and Afganistan (2%), for a 30% total share. Radio was particularly consumed by the topic, giving such topics 44% of the newshole and adding in another 4% on North Korea for good measure. The saga of the troubled NASA astronaut, which ate up 6% of the hole the previous week, was the biggest story to fall off the charts completely. The previous week's other big tabloid splasher was, of course, the death of Anna Nicole Smith. It fell from 9% to only 3%, and only appeared on two of the six media charts. Network television gave it the same 3%. If you guessed that it lived on over on the cable news channels, you'd be correct. They barely pulled back, going from 21% to 20% and almost single-handedly keeping the story on the overall chart. A big gainer was Iran, which jumped from 2% to 7%.
Top ten lists
|
|
Overall
|
Newspr
|
Online
|
NetTV
|
CATV
|
Radio
|
|
Iraq policy
|
11%
|
x
|
9%
|
15%
|
13%
|
27%
|
|
2008 campaign
|
9%
|
6%
|
10%
|
9%
|
12%
|
6%
|
|
Iran
|
7%
|
8%
|
3%
|
10%
|
9%
|
5%
|
|
Severe weather
|
7%
|
2%
|
10%
|
16%
|
7%
|
3%
|
|
Iraq events
|
7%
|
8%
|
14%
|
x
|
4%
|
7%
|
|
Anna Nicole Smith
|
6%
|
x
|
x
|
3%
|
20%
|
x
|
|
North Korea
|
6%
|
8%
|
9%
|
7%
|
1%
|
4%
|
|
Libby trial
|
3%
|
4%
|
3%
|
x
|
4%
|
x
|
|
Iraq homefront
|
2%
|
4%
|
x
|
2%
|
x
|
5%
|
|
Afghanistan
|
2%
|
x
|
3%
|
x
|
3%
|
2%
|
|
Putin on US
|
x
|
4%
|
x
|
x
|
x
|
x
|
|
Chrysler job cuts
|
x
|
3%
|
3%
|
1%
|
x
|
x
|
|
Health care
|
x
|
3%
|
x
|
x
|
x
|
x
|
|
UT mall shootings
|
x
|
x
|
4%
|
4%
|
x
|
2%
|
|
Immigration
|
x
|
x
|
x
|
x
|
2%
|
x
|
|
Global warming
|
x
|
x
|
x
|
x
|
x
|
4%
|
Source: Project for Excellence in Journalism
