The unveiling of the president’s fiscal blueprint as well as a fight over budget priorities in Wisconsin helped push coverage of economic issues to the top of the news agenda last week for the first time in two months. And the media turned their attention away from Egypt to neighboring nations.
A pastor’s plan to commemorate the Sept. 11 terror attacks by burning the Islamic holy book, and an imam’s desire to build a community center near the site of one of those attacks, generated significant media attention during a week of 9/11 remembrances.
The argument over the Park 51 Islamic center continued in the blogosphere last week, but this time, mosque supporters dominated. Bloggers also reacted to a poll that more Americans believe Barack Obama is a Muslim. On Twitter, an article declaring "The Web is dead" was No. 1. And on YouTube, an obscene gesture drove a popular video.
The outrage over new security measures at the nation’s airports ran rampant among bloggers, Tweeters, and YouTube viewers. Phrases like “security theater,” “money making scam” and even an animated reenactment of full body x-rays and pat-downs pervaded social media.
A presidential mention, and intense interest from talk show hosts, pushed a proposed Islamic center in New York City to the top of the news agenda last week. Meanwhile, a milestone in the drawdown of troops in Iraq attracted more media coverage than the war has received in more than a year.
The debate over the Islamic Center and mosque near Ground Zero in New York was a hotly contested issue for bloggers for the third week in a row as the focus turned to the motives of those opposing the construction. On Twitter, a new phone app feature from Google created a mostly positive buzz.
With the spate of primary races testing the power of the Tea Party movement, the mid-term elections topped the news, but a Katrina anniversary and the faltering economy were close behind. Meanwhile, the New York mosque controversy quieted but didn’t vanish last week.
Bloggers were sharply critical of Google last week, accusing the internet giant of shifting its position on a key online policy. Meanwhile, a column arguing against a mosque near the site of Ground Zero drew plaudits. On Twitter, a baseball mishap made the roster of top stories while the No. 1 YouTube video had Boy Scouts booing Barack Obama.
The blogosphere resembled one of those old CNN Crossfire shows last week as liberals and conservatives frequently faced off on such issues as federal assistance programs, charges of bigotry and opposition to President Obama.
The Gulf of Mexico oil spill, a fixture in the headlines for over a month, narrowly edged some attention-grabbing election results as the top story last week. The legislative effort to regulate Wall Street drove economic coverage and two international stories rounded out the roster of top subjects.
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