Multi-section Reports

The 30,000 employees of Private Security Companies currently operating inside Iraq represent a new element in modern-day warfare. They are armed, suffer casualties, are paid by the U.S. government, and perform tasks once done by the nation’s military. But a new study by PEJ reveals that for the most part, these forces have operated below the media radar.

The war in Iraq eclipsed all other news in the first three months of 2007. The 2008 presidential race was the next biggest story, and most of that was about Democrats. These are among the findings in PEJ’s first quarterly report of its News Coverage Index, which allows us to probe the data more deeply than we can on a weekly basis.

How did the sad saga of the Playmate/heiress become one of the biggest stories in America in the 23 days from her death to her burial? A PEJ report on the media’s role in the Smith episode finds that the coverage wasn’t as widespread as you might think. Still, some outlets couldn’t seem to get enough of the tabloid tale.

How did the news media fare on Nov. 7? A PEJ study of 32 different media outlets on Election Day offers “five lessons” about the coverage of major breaking- news events in the multi-media era, and a “sector-by-sector” breakdown. While some outlets struggled to find their role, those that combined both speed and interactivity seemed the most useful destinations.

A new PEJ study takes an in-depth look at tabloids and compares them to traditional broadsheet newspapers.

A comprehensive look at how the news media are covering the hurricane and its aftermath.

A new PEJ study finds sports newspaper fronts markedly different from other section fronts.

A new PEJ study of the news media finds men are cited as sources much more often than women on a wide range of topics

A PEJ study on how the press covered the pivotal period of the 2004 Presidential Campaign.

If presidential campaigns are about character and control of message, neither candidate has had much success so far, a new PEJ study finds.