Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
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Passions ran high as the blogosphere was consumed with the deadly confrontation between Israeli forces and a supply ship headed for Gaza last week. On Twitter, stories about European soccer led the week. And on YouTube, videos of the Mavi Marmara incident drew significant interest along with a toddler with an unhealthy addiction.
About the News Interest Index The News Interest Index is a weekly survey conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press aimed at gauging the public’s interest in and reaction to major news events. This project has been undertaken in conjunction with the Project for Excellence in Journalism’s News Coverage Index, […]
News that scientists had created the first-ever living cell controlled by synthetic DNA fascinated the blogosphere last week as the discussion focused on the ethics and implications of the achievement. On Twitter, a marketing campaign gone awry received the most attention. And on YouTube, a forceful political ad drew almost a million views.
Summary of Findings Americans continued to track news about the new health care law more closely than any other major story last week, though the media devoted the most attention to the deadly explosion in a West Virginia coal mine—and just 3% of coverage to health care reform. A third of the public (33%) says […]
The oil spill that won’t stop gushing became the story that won’t stop growing as the Gulf disaster coverage, fueled by a Presidential admission and a failed effort to cap the leak, reached new heights last week. No other subject—including a political controversy, a skittish stock market, the immigration issue or tensions in the Korean peninsula—came close to matching the spill’s coverage.