Indexes

A natural disaster at home, a royal wedding abroad and the release of a birth certificate were all among the big news-making events from April 25-May 1. News about the economy and violence in the Middle East vied for attention too. But all that changed abruptly in the week’s waning hours.  

Several local issues in California generated attention in the blogosphere last week, two of them involving allegations of political skullduggery. On Twitter, some bloggers fretted about questions concerning Apple and privacy. And on YouTube, a world leader was caught in the act of petty theft.

The fighting in the Mideast, and especially Libya, topped the news last week, narrowly ahead of the U.S. economy. But perhaps the most interesting development was the emergence of the presidential campaign as a major story—thanks in large part to one controversial candidate-in-waiting.

Bloggers and tweeters agreed last week that Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ upcoming biography was big news while another high-tech executive generated major attention on blogs for walking out on an interview. A touching reunion between a woman and her dog was among the top YouTube videos.

For a second week in a row, the media focused on the economy and away from foreign affairs. Last week, driven by a Presidential speech, the government shutdown was replaced with a larger debate about national fiscal priorities. Lurking in the background was the 2012 presidential race, a story that gave tycoon and Obama birth certificate skeptic Donald Trump a platform of his own.

Bloggers last week continued to follow the troubling news coming out of Japan and returned to a familiar topic—global warming—in stark contrast to the mainstream media’s attention to Beltway budget battles. Google’s new video initiative was No. 1 on Twitter while soccer-related violence was the top YouTube news clip.

The media narrative moved from overseas to the Beltway last week as budget battles trumped press interest in Libyan fighting and Japanese nuclear worries. The question is whether a long run of dominant international news will now give way to ongoing coverage of domestic concerns.

From a Supreme Court decision to the discovery of ancient books, bloggers hit on a variety of topics last week——a very different list than that of the mainstream media. And YouTube viewers gave top billing to images from Japan.

In a week in which the president defended his Libya policy to the American public, the Middle East again topped the news agenda. But coverage of that subject and the aftermath of the Japanese earthquake tailed off a bit last week as both crises defied any quick resolution.

The crucial events unfolding in both Japan and Libya were among the top stories on blogs last week. But the No. 1 topic was a celebration of the extraordinary life of Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor. On Twitter, the leading story was a high-tech business deal.