When the health care reform bill was finally signed into law on March 23, 2010 — after bitter and bruising partisan battles that extended from the summer of 2009 through the winter of 2010 — many commentators predicted it would continue to be a hot domestic issue, maybe even the decisive issue in the 2010 midterm elections. But media coverage has not followed suit. In the 11 months from April 1, 2010 through March 6, 2011, the health care debate has accounted for only 1.9% of the overall newshole. By way of comparison, in that same period, the economy has generated seven times the news coverage. Read More

Russell Heimlich  is a former web developer at Pew Research Center.