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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.

The travel delays and cancelled flights caused by the eruption of an Icelandic volcano dominated the conversation among bloggers last week. But an Iranian cleric’s claim that immodest women were to blame for earthquakes generated its fair share of attention. On Twitter, stories about Apple’s iPhone and iPad received the most links.

With its wintry TV tableaus, last week’s massive snowstorms topped a news agenda tilted toward the nation’s Capitol. Not only did Washington D.C. bear the brunt of the snow’s wallop, but Beltway-based battles over the jobs and health care came next in the roster of leading stories.

The new media world divided its attention between two stories last week: the progress of health care reform in Congress and the suspect in the Fort Hood shootings. On Twitter, technology-related issues topped the agenda. And on YouTube, that soccer player just won’t go away.

Anticipation and reaction to Apple’s new iPad was the hottest topic on Twitter last week. Blogs, though, were more caught up with a British program made up entirely of footage shot by chimpanzees. In both arenas, the President’s State of the Union Address drew little reflection.

This week’s News Coverage Index examines the agenda in one media sector—daily newspapers. And it reveals that the unanswered questions about the attempted bombing of a U.S. airliner were still dominating coverage a week after the event occurred. Meanwhile, the state of the economy was the week’s second-biggest topic.

The failed terror attack on NWA Flight 253 led the news on blogs, Twitter and in the mainstream press last week. The online community debated everything from who to blame for the close call to the impact on airline travel. On YouTube, a spectator’s view of a Christmas Eve attack on Pope Benedict XVI generated the most views.

The U.S. unemployment rate jumped, the Afghan runoff election was cancelled and the House of Representatives passed a health care bill last week. But those stories all took a back seat to coverage of the killing spree at Fort Hood Texas, which quickly became a story about Islam and possibly, terrorism.

The online media joined the mainstream press last week in focusing most of their attention on the killing spree at the Fort Hood Army post. Some of that conversation focused on the background and motivation of the suspect, but much also evaluated the pros and cons of real-time newsgathering.