The Media Primary
Rick Perry received the most favorable coverage of any candidate for president during the first five months of the race, but now Herman Cain is enjoying that distinction. Meanwhile Barack Obama has had the roughest treatment, according to a new survey which combines traditional research methods and computer algorithmic technology to code the level and tone of news coverage.
How People Learn About Their Local Community
Contrary to much of the conventional understanding of how people learn about their communities, Americans turn to a wide range of platforms to get local news and information, and where they turn varies considerably depending and the subject matter and their age.
Religion in the News: 2010
Though still small in volume, mainstream media coverage of religion in 2010 doubled over the preceding year. Events and controversies related to Islam — especially a proposed Islamic center in New York City — dominated coverage, bumping the Catholic Church from the top spot.
Media Analysis: How the Press Covered the Tragedy in Tucson
A discussion about the tenor of political discourse in America, including its role as a potential catalyst for violence, was the leading media storyline in the aftermath of the Arizona tragedy.
The Year in News 2010
A review of three different research efforts by the Pew Research Center finds the economy was the No. 1 story of the year, the narrative evolving but with a continuing undercurrent of apprehension. Other big stories: the Haitian earthquake, the health care reform debate, the Gulf oil rig explosion, and mid-term elections.
Press Coverage and Public Interest
The public tended to maintain its interest in major breaking news stories considerably longer than the press did. And the press tended to maintain substantially more interest in Washington Beltway controversies than did its audience.
Public’s Top Stories of the Decade — 9/11 and Katrina
The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 drew more public interest than any other story in the past decade. The 2005 hurricanes in the Gulf, high gasoline prices and the collapse of the economy in 2008 also grabbed overwhelming public attention.
Top Stories of 2010: Haiti Earthquake, Gulf Oil Spill
Two major disasters captured the public’s attention more than any other major stories in 2010, but Americans also kept a consistent eye on the nation’s struggling economy.
Parsing Election Day Media
In today’s news landscape, both mainstream and new media sources shape the narrative. A new PEJ study finds that no single unified message reverberated throughout the media universe in the wake of the November 2 voting and what one learned depended largely on where one got the news.
Tech Times: Media Coverage of Technology
Much of the coverage of technology in the mainstream press split into competing story lines: that it makes life easier and that it is not secure. Social media, however, had a more positive focus on technological advancements. With regard to corporations, Apple was more covered than Google.
