Search results for: “gun control”

The January 8 Arizona assault stunned the nation and became one of the biggest stories in recent years. A PEJ analysis of mainstream and social media coverage and commentary reveals which element of the story made the most news, whether President Obama’s speech changed the narrative, how Sarah Palin was covered and how much attention the issue of gun control generated.   

The online conversation last week focused heavily on the aftermath of the Arizona shooting spree that left six dead and 13 wounded. The most prominent element debated, according to a separate PEJ report released earlier this week, was the level of vitriol in political rhetoric today.

Attention to the health of both Gabrielle Giffords and civic discourse helped fuel continuing coverage of the Tucson shooting spree last week. Some White House summitry, hard times for state treasuries and another round in the legislative battle over health care reform also generated significant coverage.

Civil liberties were the hot topics across social media last week. Bloggers debated the Supreme Court decision on gun ownership and Finland’s law making Internet access a legal right. Twitter drew attention to the discovery of a privacy leak on the website Foursquare. On YouTube, a video purportedly showing oily rain in the Gulf region led to controversy.

The social media were galvanized last week by the WikiLeaks dissemination of secret U.S. documents—sharing and commenting on a number of different elements in the story. Twitter users drew even more attention, though, to a major scientific discovery largely uncovered in the mainstream press.