Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

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  • short reads

    U.S. Military Overseas and Terrorism Threat

    That’s the percentage of Americans who now think that increasing the U.S. military presence overseas is the best way to reduce the threat of terrorist attacks on the U.S. — a sharp decline from the 48% plurality who thought so on the first anniversary of 9/11.

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    Dr. No? The Debate on Conscience in Health Care

    Washington, D.C. Does requiring pharmacists to dispense medication they find morally objectionable violate their rights to the free exercise of religion? Or, are religious objections secondary to a woman’s right to receive an approved prescription in a timely manner? These questions are sparking legislative debates across the country as pharmacists are refusing to fill prescriptions […]

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    Charting the Online Revolution

    In the ninth and last of our summer roundtable discussions on the future of the news media, bloggers and analysts discuss how the Internet is transforming the gathering and delivery of information and also offer their ideas on what traditional news organizations must do to keep pace and remain relevant.

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    Charting the Mid-Term Election

    A comparison of key political and economic indicators that will help shape this November’s mid-term election with the same indicators taken at the same stage of the previous four mid-term campaigns offers good and bad news to both parties.

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    Emergency Contraception and Moral Misgivings

    The FDA’s recent decision to let women over age 18 buy the morning-after pill without a doctor’s prescription won’t end heated disputes in state capitols over emergency contraception and thrusts pharmacists – more than ever – into the middle of the fray.

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    Diminished Public Appetite for Military Force and Mideast Oil

    Summary of Findings Five years later, Americans’ views of the impact of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks have changed little, but opinions about how best to protect against future attacks have shifted substantially. In particular, far more Americans say reducing America’s overseas military presence, rather than expanding it, will have a greater effect in reducing […]

  • short reads

    Katie Couric’s Opening Night

    CouricThat’s the percentage of TV critics and online commentators who gave high marks to Katie Couric’s much anticipated debut as “CBS Evening News” anchor. The sample of 43 columns and commentaries was evaluated by the Project for Excellence in Journalism, which this week launched its new website at www.pewresearch.org/pewresearch-org/journalism as an official part of the Pew Research Center. PEJ staffers rated the critics’ comments on a three-point scale ranging from “Boffo” (21%) to “So-So” (46%) to “Uh-Oh” (33%).

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    The Verdict on Couric

    Now that the hype and the waiting is finally over, how did Katie Couric do on her historic opening night at the CBS anchor desk? Not so great, according to dozens of TV critics and commentators who offered up mostly mixed or negative reviews of her inaugural broadcast and snide remarks about her wardrobe.