When the concentration of news coverage for the second hottest story of the week (Pakistan) hits a mere 6%, especially when topic #1 (the 2008 campaign) wasn’t particularly hot either at 11%, it leaves Talkers free to chart their own course. That was the case during the week of 10/14-19/07, according to the Project for Excellence in Journalism. Talkers jazzed the campaign up to 21% and took Iraq policy from 5% of the newshole to 11%. But they also revisited areas that weren’t on the news list, like the Larry Craig saga and the Nobel Prizes. Talkers passed on Pakistan, but found interest in the twists and turns of US/Turkey relations. Oh, and they made time for one of their own, giving the non-attack on Air America Talker Randi Rhodes 2% of the hole.
