Events in Iraq Top Don Imus in News Interest
The war in Iraq continued to attract broad public attention, despite drawing far less news coverage than the Imus flap. Overall, 26% of Americans cited the war as the story they followed most closely, compared with 20% who followed the Imus story most closely.
Iraq Tops News Interest – and Anna Holds Her Own
While the media focused more on British sailors held in Iran and the US attorneys scandal, news from Iraq remains the public’s clear priority. The core Anna Nicole Smith audience remains as large as in February, despite far more limited press coverage.
Solid Majority Favors Congressional Troop Deadline
40% now say the situation in Iraq is going fairly or very well but nearly six in ten want their representative to vote for a withdrawal deadline and only 36% think the U.S. troop buildup will work.
Anna Nicole Audience Praises Press Coverage
Even though most Americans (61%) think Anna Nicole Smith’s death has been over-covered, the press gets high marks from that portion of the public (more than a third) who are following the story closely. Two-thirds of this group rate the coverage as good or excellent – better marks than the press receives from the audiences of any of the other top stories of the past week. This is in line with poll findings about previous tabloid stories: their core audiences think the press does a great job of covering them.
Too Much Anna Nicole, But the Saga Attracts an Audience
Comparisons between Pew’s new gauge of public interest in the week’s news and the PEJ’s News Coverage Index find the public and the press often in agreement about the most important news stories.
What Was — and Wasn’t on the Public’s Mind
Once again, public opinion played a major role in the most important news stories of the year. Some of the strongest 2006 trends in public opinion carried over from previous years — notably growing concern about the Iraq war and mounting dissatisfaction with the performance of the Republican-controlled Congress.
Baker-Hamilton Report Evokes Modest Public Interest
The public has grown more negative about the situation in Iraq and President Bush’s handling of the war. Half of Americans now believe the war in Iraq will turn out to be another Vietnam, while just a third think that the U.S. will accomplish its goals there.
Voters Focus on Domestic Issues, Despite Crises Abroad
War in Lebanon, widening violence in Iraq and the foiled airline terror plot failed to produce big changes in attitudes toward Israel or President Bush while economic worries continue to dominate the voting agenda.
Online Papers Modestly Boost Newspaper Readership
The biennial news consumption survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press finds that newspapers, which have seen their audience decline in recent decades, are now stemming further losses with the help of their online editions.
